The Explanation

King Solomon was a very wise man. He wrote this book to tell people what he had discovered about life. One day he looked around at everyone working so hard. Farmers plowing fields. Builders lifting stones. Merchants counting coins. And then he saw something sad. There was a man working all alone, day after day. He had no son, no brother, nobody at all. His hands kept working and working, but his eyes were never happy. He had piles of gold, yet nobody to share it with. "For whom am I working so hard?" the man must have asked himself. He worked and worked, but he never once stopped to enjoy his life. Solomon looked at this lonely man and shook his head. "This is like chasing the wind," he said. That means it looks like you are doing something, but really you catch nothing at all. Your hands stay empty. Your heart stays empty too.

What Does This Mean?

Have you ever built the tallest tower of blocks, all by yourself, with nobody to see it? It is not quite as fun, is it? Something inside us wants somebody else there. Somebody to laugh with when it falls down. Somebody to say "wow, look what you made!" Solomon saw that working all alone, with nobody to help and nobody to enjoy life with, makes even success feel hollow. That is why right after this sad picture, Solomon says something bright and strong. "Two are better than one." If one falls down, the other can pick him back up. But if you are alone and you fall, who will help you? Solomon even says two people lying down together stay warm, but one person alone stays cold. And if someone tries to attack one person, that person alone could lose. But two people together can fight back. Three people together are even stronger, like a rope woven from three cords. You cannot snap that rope easily. God made us to need each other.

The Common Thread

This story about the lonely man points to something true about all of us. We were never meant to walk through life completely alone. God himself said, long before Solomon, "It is not good for man to be alone." And Jesus, when he began his work on earth, did not do it by himself either. He chose twelve friends to walk with him, eat with him, and learn from him. Even Jesus, the Son of God, wanted friends beside him. And Jesus is like the strongest cord of all. When we hold onto him, and hold onto each other, that rope becomes very hard to break. God never wanted his people to be lonely like the man with piles of gold and empty hands. He wants us tied together, with him at the center.

For You

Think of someone in your class who often plays alone at recess. Maybe nobody asked them to join the game. You could walk over and say, "Do you want to play with us?" That small moment matters more than you think. It is the opposite of the lonely man who worked and worked with nobody beside him. You could also think of your own brother or sister. Next time they fall down, quite literally, or when something goes wrong for them, you can be the one who helps them up. That is what the threefold cord looks like in real life. It looks like you, choosing not to leave someone alone.

Talk About It

Why do you think working all alone, with nobody to share it with, made the man in the story so unhappy?

Can you think of someone who might feel lonely this week, and one small thing you could do for them?

Praying Together

Dear God, thank you that you never wanted us to be alone. Thank you for friends and family who help us up when we fall. Help me to notice when someone feels lonely, and give me courage to walk toward them. Thank you that Jesus is always near, even closer than a brother. Amen.