However many years a man may live,
let him enjoy them all.
But let him remember the days of darkness,
for they will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 11:8
My mother taught me a long time ago that the life we are given is not a sprint. It is a marathon. I am sure many of you have heard this from your parents as well. Furthermore, everyone is at a different point in the race. Some of us who have been running it for a long time have been referred to as ‘older’. It is interesting that although I certainly would be referred to by my children as ‘old’, I do not feel that way. In fact, one might say spiritually I am fairly young. There is a part of me that might lead me to believe that I have gotten old because I am not as fast and I have to go to bed early the day after staying out late the night before. However, I have lived just over half the lifespan of my Dad, and where some things were not exactly what I would expect, I look at where I am today and have to say my life has been a good one thus far. God has truly smiled on me.
None of us were promised that all the days would be sunny. Additionally, none of us are promised tomorrow. The life we live is full of joyful moments as well as times of sorrow. There are triumphant times and tragic circumstances. We have moments where we have been blessed with things that came our way, and equally as important, we have been blessed by lessons that we have learned as a result of failure. No matter what has happened in our lives, we should embrace all of it! You might ask are we really to accept the failures in our lives? Even the times that we disappointed God and ourselves? Yes, that is exactly what I am saying, and here is why. Think of those times. If we understand our failures and disappointments (the who, the why, the when), then those become areas of growth both personally and spiritually. If I, a person who at the lowest point of his life broke down in his mother’s kitchen because he felt he had become a total failure at the young age of nineteen can become an instrument for God to help others, I can tell you that your failures will be a source of strength for God to use you in the future. God is all-knowing, and to trust that He has always been there means we are to embrace all of our lives, which aides in our relationship with Him today and beyond.
Today’s verse serves as encouragement that we are to enjoy all of our years. Sure there are days of darkness, but each day of darkness is nonetheless a day we have an opportunity to serve God faithfully here that many others did not. One might say a day with God in Heaven today would be better than any day here on Earth, and that is true. However, I believe that if we are still here, it is because our work here is not done, and He has a plan for us all. As such, we should be glad of those days because He has chosen us to continue our journey to do as the Lord’s prayer says His will here as it is in Heaven. My prayer is that we reflect on all of our life with a perspective full of love and appreciation. May we embrace both the good and bad and take it all in. Amen.
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Matthew 13:19-23
One Sunday, I felt like God was trying to tell me something. It started when I woke up in the morning, and something was dwelling that stirred inside of me. We are not talking like an out of body experience, but it might feel as if your mind and body felt were entirely focused on one thing. Most Christians would identify this as connecting with the Holy Spirit. At any rate, I spent time trying to understand what exactly His message was for me. On the road to church, there was this feeling I had that something today would be different than other days. The message at church spoke on practicing rituals that keep your mind focused on God. “Guess that won’t be the problem today,” I thought. I continued to go down the path of what exactly the message was. To gain greater clarity, I had to stop off at a restaurant, and sit and ponder by myself to keep my focus. Still not knowing what it was, I knew I was on the right path because there was this synergy between both mind and spirit. An inner peace was beginning to take over, and a feeling of joy was evident in my face. Finally, the message was beginning to download. Before the evening had come, it had hit me.
The message was plain and simple. Exercise giving love. Give it freely. Not just to love others, but to love yourself. Realize that there is so much you have to offer, and that no matter what your situation is, you can love your way out of it! This is an obvious thing that most of us already know, but so often, we take the simple things for granted, don’t we? Love is truly a beautiful thing, and the more we give of it, the more we seemingly receive. I was grateful for the message this day, but I also realized an important lesson as well. Sometimes you have to slow down and put yourself in a position where you can fully receive and embrace the message given.
Listening to God should be a basic fundamental thing, but in a society that can push so much pressure on our time and energy, we may not take the time to fully hear the message. Sometimes we have to take a moment to tune ourselves into what is going on. Just like we have to prepare ourselves mentally for work, an event, or even for relaxing, it would seem logical for us to do the same to receive not only messages from God but also to read His word, pray for guidance, and receive the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we can forget that His message to us can come in various forms. Sometimes it is in a song and other times it could be a subtle comment from a friend or coworker. It could even be in a moment you have visualized previously. There are going to be times we fear listening to Him, and others where we might not like what He has to say. However, we must remember that He is faithful, loving, and attentive to our spiritual growth, and He is here to help if we are willing to trust in Him. Today, I urge to to take time to reflect and focus on God's plan for you. Meditate on it. Reflect on it. If necessary, ask guidance on it. May we always remember to prepare ourselves for the message God has for our life. Amen.
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