ENJOY. That is my word of the year this year. Honestly I haven't always picked out a word, but this year I really felt the need to do so. God has pressed upon my heart the need for enjoyment in daily life. I shared a few weeks ago about our last year, one that I am thankful for but - I know I didn't always enjoy the time God blessed me with and allowed fear and anxiety to fill in some gaps. Through scripture God is showing me that he has created us to find satisfaction and enjoyment in this life on earth now....and even in the ordinary, everyday things.
Ecclesiastes is not a book I have found myself ever really drawn to until this past month. But I am learning how to cherish every word written. Ecclesiastes is realistic...life is full of emptiness, futile things, suffering but also teaches us we are supposed to enjoy everyday life. Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that God gives us time to find satisfaction in our work - whether you are a salaried person or mom at home with the kids...there is joy God intends for us to to experience from that.
And how do we do this? How do we find real satisfaction in the ordinary? By understanding there is nothing better on this earth than knowing and loving Jesus. I love the ending of Ecclesiastes - "the conclusion of the whole matter is this, fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man." When we have a right perspective of God, we can find satisfaction in everyday life. We can enjoy the mundane moments, we can be content without knowing what our future holds because we trust God, we can appreciate the beauty of his creation like the rain falling and be reminded of his grace. We can enjoy our toast and eggs we eat every single morning and see them as a gift to be enjoyed because God has provided our daily needs. Enjoyment in life is found in each fleeting breath.
We have eternity set in our hearts, that's how we were created. When we stop and reflect just what this means it really give us a better perspective on life. We are created beings who have a Creator. We are not gods and we don't have all of the answers. We cannot master time nor do we know what the future will hold. There are many things beyond our ability. So we humble ourselves daily and remember WHO IS. And in turn we are thankful that we have received this gift of life. We are thankful we can live it to the full and reflect God's glory to the world around us. We can find joy in the ordinary things.
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31
I'm not much one to comment on blogs....but I love this. I and a friend of mine have been reading Ecclesiastes. I always kind of overlooked it but it's quickly becoming one of my favorite books. I vote it as the next book we study in the Collective :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing Michelle!! Yes! I would love to do that book too :)
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