You already know that I am big Seth Godin fan.  I haven’t pulled in any of his writings recently, but this caught my attention a few weeks ago.  Seth wrote on what he sees as the “braid” of life.  He said these are the three strands of the braid:

• Power (sometimes seen as status, or the appearance of status)
• Safety (survival and peace of mind)
• Meaning (hope and the path forward)

He goes on to write that it is when these three strands are out of balance that we unravel and lose the strength of the braid.  We can see this phenomena playing out in our workplaces organizationally and in people.  Right now, as we experience the return of layoffs and employees feel left with less choice, power and peace of mind as it relates to the security of their jobs, smart employers will be tripling down on providing people meaning, purpose and hope in their work.  The strands, when equal, are strong. When one or more falters we need to recognize that and do what we can with what we have left.

The power of triple-braided cord is Biblical.  I am fortunate that I have two friends and brothers in Christ who meet with me regularly (coming up on for decades soon) once a week to share, discuss, debate and pray.  We are braided in our love and identities in Christ. I know that I am stronger in my faith and life because of them.  If you don’t have two others in your life, I can tell you that you should and it will make a difference.

Reference: Ecclesiastes 4:12 (New Living Translation)