Entwined with Jesus!

“Mom, I’m gonna really miss you!”

How many times have I heard that phrase? Usually it was when one of my children was stretching our connecting cord… off to college or to another part of the world. But this time I was the one leaving. I was the moving end of the cord. I was going back home, and she was staying to begin a new part of her life.

Sometimes I feel my life cord doesn’t just stretch. It’s more like a bungee cord. Hopefully it brings me safely back to where I was. Then again, maybe the return trip is not what I was hoping for. Life at times can be that way, snapping me back to something I’m trying to escape.

Extension cords are helpful when the power source is out of reach. Sometimes it takes more than one cord to make that connection. But if I stretch it too far, I'm sure to pull apart the linked plugs.

The word “cord” can also be a moral, spiritual, or emotional bond. Oh. “The tie that binds our hearts in Christian love” that we sing about in that old hymn “Blest Be the Tie." I used to think that was just talking about our common faith in Christ... our fellowship as Christians that was binding us, tying us together.

Or perhaps it was more like "You and Me against the World." Many people use the idea in that song title to face the trials that come our way. In fact the Bible even commends the strength of two: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

Two can be strong. But now I’m thinking there's something missing. Because my faith isn’t always strong. My fellowship with people who strengthen my faith isn’t consistent. My relationships often are lacking. If that’s what I'm counting on to bind my life together, then this cord has real issues.

But the Scripture verse goes on to say, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Oh. That cord. My Savior who connects my spirit to Himself. The tie that truly binds. My Lord Jesus. His real presence.

I know I’m connected to the Source of Life. But sometimes I wander, and I find myself adding just one more extension, hoping the connections don’t come apart.

And sometimes I lack the confidence in His promise to always be there. Or I forget about that third strand of the cord… my Comforter, Guide, Savior… and try to go it alone or simply depend on another flawed human.

That's when I find myself in a defensive battle against the world, against those who criticize my faith, against my own poor choices.

But then I remember that ever-present cord is still there even when I forget to acknowledge Him. And when my own strand feels so powerless, that’s when I need to sigh once again, “Help me in my unbelief.”

I know I can always rely on the strength of my Lord Jesus to connect… to bind… to make sense of everything… and to bring me back to Him. Blest be that Tie... that Cord.. that binds my heart in His love!

Leaving my guilt at the cross,

Christine