With whom are you paired?

Have you ever considered who or what you are paired with in life? Have you thought about what you have been linked with and with whom you share a common thread?

Let's first examine the definition of “paired” so we can gain a clearer understanding of what we are considering. To pair means to bring together or join to form a pair, and it originates from the Latin PARIA, meaning "equal thing." An example of this is a pair of shoes or gloves that match and are identical or very similar. Paired indicates that a pairing has taken place and has been recognised as having occurred.

So, you see, it's an interesting word when you apply it to yourself and ask the question above. We are created to be in connection, not to be isolated or alone. We observe that great suffering often occurs when one is alone, and loneliness is a realm of profound sadness and loss. But we are not meant to be alone, and that has sometimes led us to seek connection in the wrong places and with the wrong people, which only worsens our isolation.

But God, the Creator of all things, has made us for the perfect pairing, which is found in Him. He is the perfect fit for us all, and we are the perfect fit for Him. Where we are weak, He is strong; where we lack, He has abundance; and where we are blind, He can see. As we depend on Him in our lives, the pairing works beautifully, and the union becomes one.

However, sometimes we find ourselves paired with another, and we have all experienced moments of despair in our lives; we may even be in that place right now, where we feel hopeless, without a future, and lost. And what have we paired in this instance? The word "despair" offers a very interesting clue when we break it down into "DES" and "PAIR." We already know what 'pair' means, but what about 'DES'? It means “without” or “away from.” It derives from the Latin word "de," indicating negation or removal; therefore, "despair” means “without hope” or “being removed from hope.” Looking further into the origin of the word despair, in Latin, "Spair” means hope, and that is why we arrive at the word despair.

But hold on, there is hope, because this is not the end. The One who created all things also aims to redeem all things and to free us from pairing with Satan’s hopelessness and despair, for He sent His only Son to repair humanity and reunite them with God once again. For Jesus is the Great Repairer of creation and can take us from despair and repair us into Himself.

If we examine the meaning of the prefix “RE” in “repair,” it signifies “again” or “back,” indicating the act of doing something a second time or restoring something to its previous condition. And what was our previous condition? It was paired with and in harmony with God in the Garden of Eden before the fall into despair, when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and sinned. God wants to remove our pairing with Satan that has led us into despair and repair us back into relationship with Him. Isn't that good news! Isn't that what we all need—to be reunited and paired with God?

So, what or who are you paired with today? Have you fallen into despair? But know this: there is hope, and hope extends its hand, seeking to repair you back into union with Him. Grasp that hand and be paired once again with your Maker, be one with Him through the repairing work of your Saviour Jesus, who came to accomplish this. Accept His finished work of restoration, redemption, and deliverance, and be freed from being paired with despair, instead being paired with Jesus, your perfect fit.

Oh, what dreadful state of despair,

That holds us in the place called hopeless,

And yet there came the Christ to repair,

Through His death and resurrection to confess.