Growing up I used to watch Hee Haw with my Grandpa. The line above was a song that was sung in a weekly skit. The next line was “deep, dark depression, excessive misery.” I guess you had to see it to find it humorous because the words truly were not uplifting. What is especially not funny about this song is how real we allow it to be at times in our lives.

I read through Ecclesiastes this week. The theme of that book is “everything is meaningless!” Talk about depressing! At first glance it seems that all the writer is talking about is that nothing matters, but there is a point to his madness.

There are two things that really grabbed me as I read through that book. The first is that “there is nothing new under the sun.”  I know it is easy to think that the world is caving in around me, because it is, but that is nothing new, it has been from the very beginning and God is still in control and something better is coming! The second thing that really jumped out at me is that there is a time for every season and activity. Many of us know the song “for every season…turn, turn, turn” and have even experienced the good and the bad life brings us, but what really hit me was the verses following the words of the song.

Ecclesiastes 3: "9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.”

God has made life very simple and I am very good at making it complex. Solomon and his great wisdom summed it up so well in these verses. I need to keep eternity set in my heart. I shouldn’t try to figure out God; but instead just trust him, be happy, do good, eat, drink and find satisfaction in all my toil which is a gift from God, know that the things of God endure forever and revere him all of my days.

I am not sure what season of life you may find yourself today. I hope and pray that you will be able to take a step back and reflect on these words and begin experiencing that peace and joy that is beyond human understanding.

Blessings,

Chris