Enjoy your Joy

Have you ever heard someone say, “Good things don’t last.”?

In some sense, it’s true. We are overjoyed on payday, but saddened after we pay our bills. We celebrate getting a good score on a test, but are quickly bombarded with the material for the next. We are thrilled when we finally overcome a challenge, but are quickly discouraged when the next one seems bigger and badder. Good things don’t last, right?

The author of Ecclesiastes had a similar view on life. In his book, he solemnly reflected on the frailty of human life. Things come and go at the blink of an eye. The things we possess and earn quickly fade away. The people that we love end up passing. All of this, according to the author of Ecclesiastes, is vanity— meaningless.

In Ecclesiastes 5, we witness the author wrestle with human work. He sees the countless hours workers spend toiling the ground, yet their earnings are very little. I encourage you to read it when you get the chance. Toward the end of the chapter, after deliberating these existential ideas, he comes to this conclusion in verses 18-20:

“Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.”

Pain and challenges knock on our door every day. Your reasons to feel sad and weary will pile up. But in the face of that reality, consider this: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5) Enjoy your joy, friend.

-Pastor Rhidge