hanging on by a thread

Have you ever noticed that when a person asks you, "How are you doing?" they really don't want to know how things are with you?  They are just being polite or merely making conversation.  I know this is true for me sometimes.  I feel like I must ask the question, but I really don't want to know the answer.  For example, when it comes to some of my older relatives, if you ask how they are doing you are going to get a detailed report on everything from current medications to bowel movements.  Then, you're trapped.  All you can do is nod and smile sympathetically.  If that sounds petty, don't be too hard on me...just nod and smile sympathetically!

When asked, "How are you doing?" I can remember hearing folks say, "Oh, I'm hanging on by a thread."  As a child, I wondered about that...how does one hang on 'by a thread'?  Isn't that a bit of a thin substance to be clinging to?  And, just exactly 'what' are they hanging on to?  You can imagine the confusion that statement might cause a seven-year-old.  I've lived six decades now, and I'm still not certain that I know what it means, but I have a pretty good idea!

It's right up there with, "I've got one nerve left and you're on it!" or, "I'm at my wit's end."  Strange sayings, but we've all been there.  It's the point where we're so beat down by one thing or another that we're just too tired to keep going.  We need some relief.  As for me, when I find myself overwhelmed by the circumstances beyond my control, it is usually because I've drifted off-center.  I've (temporarily) left my 'first' love.  That's right: I've left God out of the equation, and by doing so, I've changed the possible solution to the problem, but even then...in my darkest hour, my sweet Shepherd is there to rescue me, once again, and bring me safely home.  Jesus has a love for us that we simply cannot fully comprehend.  He feels e-v-e-r-y thing that we feel.  He, alone. knows the depth of the pain we're going through.  He REALLY wants to know how we're doing, and He wants to help.

This week, I have actually enjoyed an 'ear-worm' that has embedded itself in my brain.  "Hold Us Together" was written by Matt Maher and Steve Wilson.  You've just got to hear it.  It's on Matt's CD, "Alive Again."
(OH, and listen to "Christ Is Risen" too.  It's great.)

When Matt sings "Hold Us Together," you can just tell that he knows something about "hanging on by a thread."  He's been there.  Listen to the words:

"It don't have a job...it don't pay your bills...won't buy you a home in Beverly Hills.
Won't fix your life in five easy steps...ain't the law of the land...or the government."
"But, it's all you need,
AND LOVE WILL HOLD US TOGETHER, MAKE US A SHELTER TO WEATHER THE STORM, AND I'LL BE MY BROTHER'S KEEPER, SO THE WHOLE WORLD WILL KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT ALONE!"
"It's waiting for you...knocking at your door...in the moment of truth...
When your heart hits the floor...and you're on your knees..."
"This is the first day of the rest of your life! This is the first day of the rest of your life!"
"'Cause even in the dark, you can still see the light...It's gonna be alright...it's gonna be alright"
"AND LOVE WILL HOLD US TOGETHER..."

It's true: the love of God will always hold us together.  It compels us to be our brother's keeper and help one another to weather the storms of life.  Let's resolve to actually listen when someone is telling us what's going on in their lives...and then nod and, smiling sympathetically, ask, "What can I do to help?"  Love will make a way to make it happen!  Love is the thread that will hold us together.