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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Enjoying life: a gift from God

Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 (NIV)



 18 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.19 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.


"The Bath" Mary Cassatt



It has been a busy, long, stressful, tiring, hard month or so. Don't get me wrong, it has been full of great blessings and joy, but difficult nonetheless. 


Lately, I've found myself mostly tired and lacking joy in many areas. You would expect me to be tired of course, weary from the call of mothering a newborn and a 2yr old, and a 4 yr old, and a 6yr old with this body of mine that is slowly recovering from it's fourth major surgery. Sigh. I look around me though and KNOW that this calling, these precious possessions (if I can even call them that since they are the Lord's and not my own) are the wealth, the riches, that God has blessed my life with. I want to enjoy every minute with them...even the hard and weary ones. I don't want my lack of zeal to rub off on them. I don't want them to be burdened by my weariness, or worse feel that they are to blame for it. 

A friend of mine shared this verse from Ecclesiastes with me about a year or so ago. I don't even remember what the discussion was that brought the verse to her mind, but I do remember that this verse has stuck with me ever since then. I've been meditating on it all day today. Really, I want to paint it on every wall in my house to remind me to simply and fully enjoy and accept what the Lord has given me. I lack nothing that God in His grace can't give me to allow me to accept my lot and enjoy it too. "Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul." God is so good. What a gift that not only did He give us life, but he wants us to enjoy it as well. 


Are you enjoying the life that God has given you? What is keeping you from enjoying it? I have lots of good reasons I could give you, but really no valid excuses for not having that joy overflowing in my life right now. I know that my sinful attitudes are to blame. I'm so thankful for being able to see this because now I can take the next steps to move from the darkness to the light. 

1 comment:

Unknown said...

So good, Heather!! Thank you, thank you! Keep reminding me, girl!! :D I love that painting of Cassatt too!! :)

I'm going to write this Scripture down RIGHT now! :)