This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger. Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work, this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. ~Ecclesiastes 5:16-20
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. ~Philippians 4:11-13
My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty. I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul. Like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore. ~Psalm 131
Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup. You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Surely, I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me, when at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the grave nor will you let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. ~Psalm 16:5-11
“Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work, this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.” “Keeps him occupied with gladness of heart” “Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup, You have made my lot secure.” “This is a gift from God.” I’m sure that some of us have an easier time recognizing and appreciating our “gift from God,” than others.
Some of us have been blessed to have had jobs that we enjoyed or were skilled at. We felt fulfilled, and hopefully still feel fulfilled at what we do to occupy our time now. It’s easy to have “gladness of heart,” because we just fit into our life’s calling so well. How about for those of us for whom life is more of a struggle? For example, when working at a job only because it was all you could find to pay the bills, finding your joy is more of a struggle. It’s hard to relate with David’s statement about boundary lines falling in pleasant places when that doesn’t fit with our actual experience. The challenge in these circumstances is to not focus on the circumstances but try to remain open to receive His gift of gladness of heart despite them.
A day laborer then, as now, does not have an easy life. They consider themselves blessed when they earn enough to put a roof over their heads and not go to bed hungry. When you think about it, really, those are our basic needs. The majority of the world would be content to simply have that. As wealthy westerners, we are fortunate to live in a time and place in which we can be more choosy.
Solomon begins his statement above with what sounds like a pretty depressing observation. “This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.” Sadly, this is an accurate description of many people’s experience of life on this earth. They wonder, “what is the point?” They rise, go to a menial job to earn just enough for food and shelter, and, that is their life. They have few goals, nothing to look forward to. Survival is their main accomplishment. Then, after years of this, they die and are buried and, probably forgotten, if not immediately, certainly within one generation. There doesn’t appear to be much hope in that.
“Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot.” The key is, can the laborer look beyond his “in a rut” circumstances to his Creator and find satisfaction in the task that God has assigned to him? When he can, then he can be content with his assignment. In so doing he is blessed, and that blessing can be internalized as gladness of heart despite how life looks from the outside.
When our situation appears to us to be one of the less desirable ones, in which our circumstances make it harder to feel joy and gladness, we do well to look up, away from our circumstances and remember who we are in Christ. Jesus brings meaning to the most menial task because He can use it even though we don’t see how. It helps to remember that our God is good and that nothing is menial in His sight. When we are obedient, and we are doing His Will, even if it is little, it has purpose because He gives purpose to everything. That right there is a major difference in how we see life compared to how the world sees it without knowledge of Him.
I’m thinking of brother Lawrence, who is known for his position as dish washer and, later, sandal maker for a Carmelite monastery in Eastern France. Brother Lawrence was born to a peasant family. When old enough, he served in the French military, because it was the only job at which he could eat and have a small stipend. He saw many atrocities but found peace in his faith when he moved into the monastery. People sought him out for conversation because of that amazing peace that emanated from him.
He could have seen himself as just a lowly servant and complained about the unfairness. In fact, when he was assigned to the kitchen, he really didn’t want that job, a dish washer. It was no glorious task in the 1600s. Yet, he decided to accept it as God’s will for him and found that he could easily spend his time with God as he washed the dishes. After his death, much of his wisdom was compiled in a little book entitled, “Practicing the Presence of God.”
He never knew about this book in his life. It was not his goal. His goal was obedience, which meant washing dishes joyfully, but God used it mightily to bless others down through the ages. He experienced contentment and gratitude while performing a very menial task indeed. I called this devotional a wellness check-up, because I hope that we are inspired to examine our own attitudes toward all we have been given and the tasks set before us.
Have we learned to be content in “ALL” situations as Paul has? Can we sit contentedly on our Father’s lap, as a weaned child with David? Can we see at least a few of our lines of life drawn through pleasant places? Do we have an internal gladness of heart, focused on Christ, despite our outward situation? If we can do these things, then we can pass our wellness check-up for our soul. This is very important since our soul is what we will be taking with us to eternity. It is important that it be as healthy as it can be!
Prayer: Thank You Father for having my best interests at heart and making sure that whatever my circumstances, You have arranged them for my blessing and growth. So, even if the road is rough and the boundary lines are made of thorn bushes, Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. May others notice my joy and inquire about it so that I may more easily share the gospel with them. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: It Is Well
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. ~Philippians 4:11-13
My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty. I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul. Like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore. ~Psalm 131
Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup. You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Surely, I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me, when at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the grave nor will you let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. ~Psalm 16:5-11
“Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work, this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.” “Keeps him occupied with gladness of heart” “Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup, You have made my lot secure.” “This is a gift from God.” I’m sure that some of us have an easier time recognizing and appreciating our “gift from God,” than others.
Some of us have been blessed to have had jobs that we enjoyed or were skilled at. We felt fulfilled, and hopefully still feel fulfilled at what we do to occupy our time now. It’s easy to have “gladness of heart,” because we just fit into our life’s calling so well. How about for those of us for whom life is more of a struggle? For example, when working at a job only because it was all you could find to pay the bills, finding your joy is more of a struggle. It’s hard to relate with David’s statement about boundary lines falling in pleasant places when that doesn’t fit with our actual experience. The challenge in these circumstances is to not focus on the circumstances but try to remain open to receive His gift of gladness of heart despite them.
A day laborer then, as now, does not have an easy life. They consider themselves blessed when they earn enough to put a roof over their heads and not go to bed hungry. When you think about it, really, those are our basic needs. The majority of the world would be content to simply have that. As wealthy westerners, we are fortunate to live in a time and place in which we can be more choosy.
Solomon begins his statement above with what sounds like a pretty depressing observation. “This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.” Sadly, this is an accurate description of many people’s experience of life on this earth. They wonder, “what is the point?” They rise, go to a menial job to earn just enough for food and shelter, and, that is their life. They have few goals, nothing to look forward to. Survival is their main accomplishment. Then, after years of this, they die and are buried and, probably forgotten, if not immediately, certainly within one generation. There doesn’t appear to be much hope in that.
“Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot.” The key is, can the laborer look beyond his “in a rut” circumstances to his Creator and find satisfaction in the task that God has assigned to him? When he can, then he can be content with his assignment. In so doing he is blessed, and that blessing can be internalized as gladness of heart despite how life looks from the outside.
When our situation appears to us to be one of the less desirable ones, in which our circumstances make it harder to feel joy and gladness, we do well to look up, away from our circumstances and remember who we are in Christ. Jesus brings meaning to the most menial task because He can use it even though we don’t see how. It helps to remember that our God is good and that nothing is menial in His sight. When we are obedient, and we are doing His Will, even if it is little, it has purpose because He gives purpose to everything. That right there is a major difference in how we see life compared to how the world sees it without knowledge of Him.
I’m thinking of brother Lawrence, who is known for his position as dish washer and, later, sandal maker for a Carmelite monastery in Eastern France. Brother Lawrence was born to a peasant family. When old enough, he served in the French military, because it was the only job at which he could eat and have a small stipend. He saw many atrocities but found peace in his faith when he moved into the monastery. People sought him out for conversation because of that amazing peace that emanated from him.
He could have seen himself as just a lowly servant and complained about the unfairness. In fact, when he was assigned to the kitchen, he really didn’t want that job, a dish washer. It was no glorious task in the 1600s. Yet, he decided to accept it as God’s will for him and found that he could easily spend his time with God as he washed the dishes. After his death, much of his wisdom was compiled in a little book entitled, “Practicing the Presence of God.”
He never knew about this book in his life. It was not his goal. His goal was obedience, which meant washing dishes joyfully, but God used it mightily to bless others down through the ages. He experienced contentment and gratitude while performing a very menial task indeed. I called this devotional a wellness check-up, because I hope that we are inspired to examine our own attitudes toward all we have been given and the tasks set before us.
Have we learned to be content in “ALL” situations as Paul has? Can we sit contentedly on our Father’s lap, as a weaned child with David? Can we see at least a few of our lines of life drawn through pleasant places? Do we have an internal gladness of heart, focused on Christ, despite our outward situation? If we can do these things, then we can pass our wellness check-up for our soul. This is very important since our soul is what we will be taking with us to eternity. It is important that it be as healthy as it can be!
Prayer: Thank You Father for having my best interests at heart and making sure that whatever my circumstances, You have arranged them for my blessing and growth. So, even if the road is rough and the boundary lines are made of thorn bushes, Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. May others notice my joy and inquire about it so that I may more easily share the gospel with them. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: It Is Well
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