When Life Feels Emptyنموونە

Living Like the Trinity

Throughout Ecclesiastes, the Teacher says relationships help blunt the meaninglessness of all our other pursuits. In today’s passage, the man who works alone, without son or brother, such work, the Teacher says, is meaningless. But when that work draws us into relationships, when our work serves others, the Teacher acknowledges there is some measure of value.

“Two are better than one,” he writes. When we team up to work together on projects, those relationships can produce “a good return for [our] labor” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). Work that drives us into relationships can benefit everyone involved.

In friendships, too, we can find support and encouragement. “If either of them falls down, one can help the other up” (Ecclesiastes 4:10). Life is hard, and friendships make life softer. They may not keep us from falling down, but they can help us get back up a little easier.

And in marriage, our relationships can ward off the cold. “If two lie down together, they will keep warm” (Ecclesiastes 4:11). Even when the world is cold, a tender marriage can keep both people from suffering the chill.

In every case, relationships bring benefit, support, and relief. And in every case, they can bring strength. “Two can defend themselves,” and “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” In other words, the more friends and relationships, the better.

Of course, relationships are not always easy. They require tending to. Keeping them healthy takes effort. We must care for them for them to grow. Even the best relationships, if we neglect them, will wither and weaken.

But, as the Teacher might say, what else is there? Without relationships, pleasure, work, and wealth, each becomes dry and lifeless. If we live only to please ourselves, we become black holes of need.

Relationships are a gift from God meant to bless us, guide our work, and shape our lives. When we invest in them, we participate in His story, experiencing a life of joy, strength, and purpose that flows from Him and points back to Him.

Prayer

Loving Father, remind me that life gains meaning through the people You place beside me; may I invest time, care, and love into each relationship, so that together we reflect Your glory, uphold one another, and experience the richness of Your gift in every shared moment.

In Jesus’ name.
Amen.