Discover His heart: He gives the health and wealth we need to live a contented life
Planning a wedding with my daughter was one of the happier stages of my life. I say stages because it really was quite a process. Planning a wedding with my daughter was also one of the more stressful stages of my life. A once-in-a-lifetime event always comes with extra pressure – one chance to get it right. The wedding day held all the regular tensions plus a few last minutes glitches. An hour before the wedding was to start; I was running around like the proverbial chicken with no head.
The church wedding coordinator, called the “Wedding Nazi” by some, caught me as I raced down the church aisle loaded with boutonnieres, etc. She grabbed my arm and walked at a snail’s pace down the rest of the aisle. “I’ve got to hurry,” I told her. “No,” she said, “you’ve got to slow down, take some deep breaths or you will never remember this day,” and we strolled down the aisle together. She was my “Wedding Angel” who saved the day for me, and I cherish the wonderful memory of a beautiful wedding. Sometimes we just have to stop and, yes, smell the roses regardless of the drive to do and to be.
@ Ecclesiastes 5
“It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.” (18-20) Go-getters and Type A’s probably take exception to Solomon here, and there’s nothing wrong with working to provide for our families and doing what we can to improve our situation. After all, most of the inventions of the last century came from this mindset. But, when our drive removes all the pleasure from life, and we never enjoy the fruits of our labors, we really have missed the point.
I can’t imagine spending every day of my life doing a job that I dislike. Out of high school, my husband wanted to be a pharmacist because he had heard they made a lot of money. While some people enjoy the stability and structure of counting pills, it would have been a miserable life for him because he is an adventurer, and 40 years of youth ministry has certainly been an adventure for him. Solomon expressed the peace and contentment that comes with accepting what God has provided and planned for your life.
Paul certainly got it, “for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” (Philippians 4:11-12) No striving, no rat race, no regrets, but contentment through Paul’s secret: Christ who gives strength to do all things. (13)
When we accept the health and wealth that God has provided for us, we are so busy enjoying life that we forget about what we haven’t had or what may have been taken from us, and the past holds no regrets. We just let it go…ahhh…deep breaths…and life is full of beautiful memories.
Moving Forward: I’ll walk in contentment today, enjoying every step because of His faithfulness to provide just what I need for today.
Tomorrow @ Haggai
Phyllis Benigas 