Open it up

The book of Ecclesiastes is an enormous freight train driving toward a glad station: “Go, eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved your works” (9:7). How contrary this is to the beret-clad, cigarette-flared brooder who takes it all for meaninglessness!

Young men, in their insecurity, are prone to doubt and question, and thus waste their years of strength. So Solomon drives it home for them in particular: “Rejoice, O Young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheers you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment” (11:9).

What am I supposed to be doing? Rejoicing. Having fun. Doing what your heart desires. How? Remembering that God is everywhere and will judge. If your heart is clean and your eyes are filled with light, your desires are trustworthy to bring true delight without destruction. What gets in the way of this? Over-thinking: “The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh” (12:11-12).

If you worry your life like a dog does  a bone, you are over-thinking. The words of the wise are crisp and hard; they go thud, and they hold the joyful life together. We should be suspicious of anything else, especially if it’s published. With that in mind, you can love God, and open the throttle.

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