Tips on Enjoyment and Work
Tips on Enjoyment and Work from Ecclesiastes
Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless. So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.
For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?
Ecclesiastes 2:21-25 NLT
Any enjoyment that we are able to have in life comes from God. The jobs we have, the success we gain, the houses we are able to buy all of this comes from the good things that God gives us. And we should find enjoyment in these things. He’s the giver of all good gifts.
This verse about hard work and anxiety, and at night their minds cannot rest—this really stuck out to me. I had an especially chaotic week at work this past week, and it’s easy for my mind to dwell on that even when I’m at home. That’s not particularly productive for my projects or my mind. This verse reminds me to find enjoyment in life and also in working hard.
This morning, it is Saturday, there’s a beautiful light cold rain (maybe only Jeremy and I love this weather). It’s not a rushed morning, and I feel more able to enjoy my house, my sweet husband, and how excited my dog is for everything. I’m drinking an ube flavored coffee.
What a time we live in! There are so many big wars and things that seem unprecedented, but these chapters and Ecclesiastes remind us that war and troubled times are nothing new. Also, what a time we live in, that I can have hot water from a tap, electricity, ube flavored coffee. So enjoy your food and drink and find satisfaction in work. And on the days that you feel like everything is meaningless, remember that there’s a whole book in scripture you can go to so you don’t feel alone.
Reflect: What in your life feels meaningless right now? What gifts from God’s hand can you find enjoyment in?
Prayer: God, thank you for this weird book in scripture that reminds us that even when everything feels meaningless, you still bring enjoyment into our lives. Help us to bring our anxieties and fears about meaninglessness into our conversations with you. Help us to find small things that have meaning and joy for us today. Amen.
May you feel the Presence of the Lord,
Sarah Visser-Kincaid