Woe to him who is alone
when he falls and has
not another to lift him up!
Again, if two lie together,
they keep warm, but
how can one keep warm alone?
Ecclesiastes 4:10-11
ESV
My favorite rock band as a kid was Three Dog Night. They were most famous for the song, “Joy to the World” – no, not the beautiful Christmas carol; but the goofy song that began, “Jeremiah was a bullfrog.” (I really don’t want to know what they were really singing about.)
My question, though, is this: Do you know what Three Dog Night means?
To keep warm while camping in the Australian outback, you’d bring one dog into your tent if it was a cold night. His body heat would keep you and your tent warmer. If it was really cold, you’d bring in two of your dogs. A three-dog-night, then, was an extraordinarily cold evening! You needed all that warmth to keep you alive!
That’s the kind of the analogy that Solomon makes in today’s verse. (And remember – if you’re not married, this is a friendship analogy. Analogy – not a prescription! Allow a buddy to warm your heart! Anyway …)
Friendship is keeping the other person’s heart warm!
That’s not a bad definition. Say it with me. Friendship is keeping the other person’s heart warm.
And just like it helps on a cold night to have another warm body to snuggle against, our spirit needs the warmth … wisdom … encouragement … assistance … and friendship to keep our lives warm and joyful.
Question: How warm are you keeping your spouse’s heart and best friend’s spirit?
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who wants to be
an electric blanket
No comments:
Post a Comment