Ecclesiastes 5:18
“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. ”
Ecclesiastes 8: 15
“And I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.”
I’m not sure exactly when I decided I wanted to start a blog. I knew I loved to write. I knew I always had a lot of thoughts running through my mind, but it seems I have always been afraid to write and discuss my thoughts. I suspect I decided when our Pastor started a series on Ecclesiastes. I had never really studied Ecclesiastes before, and I found it to be an amazing study. I have often asked questions like, “With all the sickness and sadness in this world what is the point of life?” How do you go on joyfully with life when someone close to you dies? In this study our Pastor pointed out the hardships of life. I think we can all admit we have gone through trials where we have questioned the purpose. If everything we do under the sun is vanity and unsatisfying, what is the point? Solomon experiments by doing everything he desires whether it was good or bad. And he came to the same conclusion: none of it satisfies. However, when you realize that God has given us all things to enjoy your outlook on life should be different. Throughout Ecclesiastes you see phrases like, “enjoy life,” Eat your bread with joy,” Eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil under the sun,” Eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil-this is God’s gift to man.” When all of our life is about God we can find joy.
Being happy and being joyful are two different things to me. We will not always be happy. But, I believe we can find joy by being all satisfied in our heavenly Father. I am often sad when I hear of people who are struggling with cancer, or who have lost a loved one, or who seem to be less fortunate in some way. Having lost my dad, my cousin, and my Uncle I struggled with purpose, motivation, and joy. But by God’s grace, I have found such amazing joy in Him.
In thinking through the name of my blog, I wanted it to include everything. I enjoy many things: cooking, crafting, shopping, reading, travelling, food, relationships, etc. These are all wonderful gifts from God that He has given us to enjoy. So for me, life is hard, as I suspect it is for many of you. My life is no different than yours. God has given and God has taken away. I sometimes feel guilty when I am struggling because there is always someone who is going through something harder than what I’m going through. That is how God designed it, and He cares whether you think it’s small or big. Our lives will continue to have good moments and bad moments. But I am amazed at how He places people in your life that you can help and encourage or vice versa. He uses those hard times and turns them into avenues of helping others who are going through what you went through.
I don’t want to pretend that my life is perfect or that I’m always happy. Because this is far from true. However, as I strive to find joy in all the gifts God has given us, I hope to find true fulfillment in Christ. We will one day have ultimate peace when we are united with our Father above the sun. But for now, he has given us responsibilities under the sun. I hope this blog serves as a fun, encouraging, and informative place to visit.
