The purpose in life...

   Let me just preface this by saying, I love the book of Ecclesiastes... I think about the wisdom in just that book alone because I have a lot of time to think about life and what it's all about. I don't know many people who do enjoy reading it, if you don't interpret it correctly, it's the most depressing book ever! But I love it.

   So, we're going to go through and ponder some of the things that are brought forth to our attention and how it relates to now. Don't be shy, read on. And No I'm not gonna hit you over the head with a Bible either.

    "I have see all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Ecc 1;14
    Now what do you suppose that means? He digs in...

   "I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives. I undertook great projects; I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them...... I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." Ecc 2:3-5, 9-11

    Wow, this guy had everything imaginable but still his ultimate revelation was- he wasn't happy and really, it was all still just meaningless.

    Have you ever been there? You thought to yourself that you had everything that you wanted (without even being greedy) this was it, this was all you needed? I think we all have. I know I have at one point or another. But then, something else came along, something else that would make the picture even more complete. It would be the icing on the cake- so they say. Let's say you achieved it, but there is always going to be something else.

   Have you ever wondered if everything that you do serves no purpose but to keep you entertained while you're here? We take everything so seriously, it seems. Except the right things. Think about that for a moment. Your car that you wax every weekend during the summer, do you buy your wife flowers every weekend too? Or the cell phones that never leave our sides, do we take such notice and care to regarding the food we put in our bodies?  I think you get my point, I hope so...

   I'm not standing on a soap box as I type this, I'm guilty on where my priorities are, I write these blogs more for me than for all of you. I'm just hoping to start some kind of a revolution here, one that's filled with love instead of hatred. I know the word love gets tossed around an awful lot but is it really love???

   What else does the teacher say in this book?

   "He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil- this is a gift from God." Ecc 3:12-13

   Oh I love this book!
   ... set eternity in the hearts of men? Somewhere deep within us, we know this isn't it. I think to fill the void, the grasping and grabbing, we try to fill this "knowing" with everything imaginable other than God. Oh yeah... guilty. I used to love shopping, it made me happy for a little while, then I'd find something else that I wanted.

   "There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. 'For whom am I toiling' he asked, 'And why and I depriving myself of enjoyment.'  -This too is meaningless- a miserable business." Ecc 4:8

  That's really sad, all that stuff and work put into it, with no one to share it with. Notice, the teacher says, 'miserable' here? It is miserable and lonely and meaningless!

   "Naked a man comes from the womb, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand." Ecc 5:15

    When you pass on, who gets your empire? Okay, so you have a beneficiary designated. Will they spend it wisely? Share the wealth while you're here, at least then you'll be obeying Gods commands AND you'll know where the good are going.

   "The man who fears God will avoid all extremes." Ecc 7:18

   All extremes of what? (to paraphrase) perishing in righteousness, wickedness, overly righteous, foolishness...

   "Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every detail into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil." Ecc 12:13-14

   Why these? These are some of my favorites from this book, outlining some of the key points made through out the book. What good is wealth with no one to share it with? Finding satisfaction in what we're doing, knowing that it's a blessing from God, not just luck or fate. We came here with nothing, we will leave with nothing... It's not depressing, it's just facts. Solomon, who was said to be the wisest man to have ever lived is the one known to have written this book. The entire book is packed with wisdom. Wisdom is what he was known for.

   Keep Gods commandments... Jesus came and had what is often referred to as the greatest commandment. It's found in Matthew 22:36-40

   "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" Jesus replied; "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. this is the first and greatest commandment. and the second is like it; 'Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments."

   If you're loving God with all you have and loving others, which often gives birth to enjoyment in what you do while you spend your days under the sun... This is the point of life then, isn't it? So If you've even wondered what the point to life is, this is it. The root of it is love, love God and love others.

   Hey, thanks for reading along with me. Read Ecclesiastes on your own if you wish, it really is a fantastic book. And it's not break neck long either.

   Love! It's all about love, the real kind. Not the manufactured garbage the world pumps out, love originates from God. We can love others because He loved us first.


 

The pursuit of playdom

                                                            The pursuit of playdom.

                I remember when I was a little girl, playing was incorporated into everything that I did, naturally. As a child that was naturally where my thoughts went- how I could play with this and that of my surroundings. Remember how easy it was to play and quickly get whisked off into a different world comprised of make believe and wonder? In my early twenties, I think I still knew how to play. They were just more adult games, like darts or pool or poker. I still knew how to kick back and relax back then too.

                Now that I’m in my early 30’s, when I wake up in the morning, my mind is flooded with the tasks that need to be carried out for the day. All of the needs of others that need to be fulfilled. There are some days that when my head hits the pillow at night, that even though everything got done that day, I still feel as though nothing got done. I’ve begun to think it’s because there was no play time. There was no fun involved. Maybe a few moments on the phone, playing some time waster game- just to take the edge off the day, momentarily. Other than that, where did all the fun go?

                

          There is a pulse to our nation that can be heard in nearly every commercial; media outlet, schools and just about anywhere else. Strive. Succeed. Don’t stop. Keep pushing. Keep planning. Keep working. Don’t rest. This is where all the play has gone. The idea has been knocked off the drawing board of the adult life and replaced with endless striving. There is a book in the Bible that speaks about all the things of life, Ecclesiastes. The first time I read it, I thought it was really depressing. But then the next time I read it, I felt the Lord open my eyes to the real point behind it all. That life is meaningless without God.

               

          God is the author of all things, whether it is work or it is play. You can see the nature of our Creator in all things. Although we are the only ones made in His image.

                “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Ecc 1:14

“Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.” Ecc 5:15

I am not suggesting lazy-ness either, I am suggesting not so much busyness. Busyness keeps our sight off of what is most important; God and our families. Growing in love and in relationship with both. Having fun together. Playing. Living rather than just surviving and striving.

We can’t achieve our way into approval from God. There are days where we are going to fall miserably short of God’s glory, that is every day but that is what we have Jesus Christ for. We will all stand before the judgment seat of God, whether you believe that or not. I will not stand there and explain away all the things that I did in this life and all the things that I had. All the money I had in the bank, all the awards I won and how respected or feared I may have been. I want to stand there and tell Him that I loved my family with every ounce of love He filled my heart with. And on the days I felt myself slipping, I turned to His Son for my strength to go on. That is what I hope to take with me when I depart.

If you sit and look out your window on a fall or spring day and watch the squirrels you will see a wonderful example of work and play. Squirrels are usually hard at work; collecting, gathering, building. But in the midst of it all, they play. You see them chasing one another up and down trees, from limb to limb. Or what about dogs? Who do you think it is that gave your dog a mind to play fetch? Or what causes the birds to rejoice after a warm spring rain? I can see outside my window, even though it is bitter cold, squirrels playing. And when the wind picks up, I can see them cuddling together for warmth in their tree top nests.

               

  Some would argue that animals are almost “programmed” to be this way or that it’s just their nature. That may be true but maybe they are the smarter ones for not replacing the original program. Do you think we were always supposed to strive unto death? Until we are thread bare and white knuckled? Why do you suppose more and more people need sleeping pills just to sleep? Or depression medication? There is something going on here that we are all ignoring- this life we are leading, the one we are pushed to lead due to our environments and our newly programmed mindsets, is taking away from what matters most. The thing that gives us peace. God. Family. And some good old fashioned fun.

                “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” Genesis 2:2-3.

I don’t think God rested because He was tired… He rested because He knows how important resting is. It’s an example and outline set forth for us to follow. We need to rest too. We also need to play. It is in our nature, remember, you played as a child. You ARE still the person you were as a child, you’re just older now and your playdom has been stolen by all of your tasks and endless striving. Find that person again. He or she is still in there. Don’t think about how silly you will look, playing. Just go where your heart leads you. Play in a way that of course wouldn’t be harmful to others or displeasing to God. Or if that’s too big of a step, then just be still…

Good luck finding your way back to playdom, your inner child will be there waiting for you…