So…. it’s a drizzly overcast morning, I think I have strained my back, and somehow developed a head cold in the last 24 hours. Probably not the day you want to read Ecclesiastes, but that’s where we are…
Wow. Having just read that I don’t know if I want to stay at work and believe that my efforts are making a difference, or go home and pull the covers over my head.
Although, tucked away in all of Solomon’s gloomy speech are some bright spots. For instance: 2:24 says to “enjoy your food and drink and find pleasure in your work, because God gives joy and wisdom to those who please Him”. So, as I pray this morning, I will pray that I find enjoyment in the tasks God has given me for today. I’m not sure what I will have for lunch or supper, but I will be thankful for it, and enjoy whatever it is. The ability to work hard at whatever task God has given, and enjoy the process of working on it is a gift from God in itself.
I mentioned that my back hurts today. That’s because I foolishly was attempting to lift very heavy stones by myself and place them into a stone wall along the creek that runs through our property. But I am not sad or angry that my back hurts, because I consider it an acceptable sacrifice for the privilege of working on God’s property. I imagine people descending these stairs to enter the water to be baptized, and walking back up them, faces beaming while others applaud and laugh with joy. No one will be saying “wow, that’s a really nice rock wall” while they are participating, and that’s okay. If the wall stands in another generation, it’s likely no one will know who built it…if it falls into the creek, no one will care, or perhaps they will say “what a waste of time and energy”….even still that has no bearing on my happiness.
Here’s what Solomon missed (if I may be so bold). The work that we do and the things we accomplish aren’t an end unto themselves, they are simply “what humans do”. Birds sing, beavers build dams, deer eat my apple trees…it’s what they do. Humans work and store, and build and plan and create. Is there a point to all of it? Not really, everything you see here on earth will one day be destroyed. So why bother?
Because God gives pleasure and joy to those who please Him…and it’s the pleasure and joy that we are after, not the finished product.
It doesn’t matter if you work in an office or outdoors, if you build or tear things down. What matters is that you acquire the ability from God to enjoy the things you do. Find pleasure in your work and play, that’s the real purpose of life. Enjoy God while doing some of the many things that people do.
We won’t all travel, but some will, and will find great enjoyment in it. God will allow them to see wonderful things that will cause them to praise God over and over. Others will have the exact same experience while never leaving their porch. It’s the experience that matters.
Sadly, it seems to me that Solomon has become focused on the wrong thing. He is trying to find significance in the things that he does, and the money that he acquires. He might even assume that happiness is a formula, and can be acquired by adding the right amount of work, play and money. If he did think that, he discovered that no amount of money can make you happy, neither can work or play. Again, happiness isn’t found in those things..happiness is a gift from God, which is bestowed upon those who make God happy.
I wonder if my grumbling about having a cold makes God happy? As I came into work today there as a deer walking across our property. It’s a common sight here, but in urban areas that would be seen only in a zoo. There’s something relaxing and peaceful about watching animals go about their business in the wild. I could see that the deer was cautious, but she wasn’t worried. She slowly grazed across our lawn and disappeared into the woods, leaving a smile on my face. For a moment, God granted me the joy of the Lord to enjoy His creation. Sadly, I think I squashed it by calling to mind again my illness.
I have a friend that writes down 5 things he is thankful for every day. He has done it for years, and he says it has changed the way he thinks and acts, and the way he worships. If I had to write down 5 things today, I think they would be:
1. summer rain 2. quiet morning devotions 3. grandkids who like to snuggle 4. a wife who constantly finds new ways to bless others 5. having a purpose and mission today (driving kids to youth camp).
3:7 God made everything beautiful for it’s own time. Scattering stones can be beautiful, so can crying, tearing or war. And, their opposites are also beautiful…in their own time.
3:11 God planted eternity in our hearts. That means I am an eternal being, and this life isn’t all there is. My destiny is end up elsewhere…exactly where will depend on what I do and believe here on earth.
Here’s the common thought:
3:13, 3:22, 5:18-19, 6:9, These are the “bright spots” I was talking about.
I wish I had more time to comment on 5:13 “hoarding riches harms the saver”. There are several lessons tucked away in that observation. But, I will read this passage again someday, and perhaps comment on it then. Right now, it’s time to enjoy a cup of hot coffee with friends….
This also is a gift from the Lord. Hope these musings find you well.
Faithfully,
PR