Two are better than one, because they
have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him
up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie
down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one
may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not
quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause.
Today's passage looks at the good it can do. We sometimes change the name to "accountability," but the idea is the same: other people can motivate, encourage or help you to do what is good. It's another of the reasons that we need the Church, and why we need our Christian friends within the church. On our own, we are not likely to do as much good as we will do when others are involved or watching. This is why heroes and villains both need sidekicks. We are weak when we are alone.
I believe this is one of the reasons why the early Church was repeatedly called to care for the widows, orphans, and prisoners. These people often had no social network. As a single woman, there are times that I feel that lack. I know sometimes married folk feel it, too, because it's assumed that the spouse is being the needed sidekick. Put simply, there are times when we all need someone and more often than not, we don't say anything. There seem to be two extremes people follow. The first is to flail about like someone drowning, grabbing anyone and taking them down with us. The other is to drown alone. That is why we need to build these relationships when we're not drowning.
There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause.
Today's passage looks at the good it can do. We sometimes change the name to "accountability," but the idea is the same: other people can motivate, encourage or help you to do what is good. It's another of the reasons that we need the Church, and why we need our Christian friends within the church. On our own, we are not likely to do as much good as we will do when others are involved or watching. This is why heroes and villains both need sidekicks. We are weak when we are alone.
I believe this is one of the reasons why the early Church was repeatedly called to care for the widows, orphans, and prisoners. These people often had no social network. As a single woman, there are times that I feel that lack. I know sometimes married folk feel it, too, because it's assumed that the spouse is being the needed sidekick. Put simply, there are times when we all need someone and more often than not, we don't say anything. There seem to be two extremes people follow. The first is to flail about like someone drowning, grabbing anyone and taking them down with us. The other is to drown alone. That is why we need to build these relationships when we're not drowning.
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