What Makes Life Worth Living?
“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?”
Ecclesiastes 2:24-25
What matters most? Where does joy and happiness come from? What lasts? What makes life worth living? Solomon was struggling to find the meaning of life, and so he begins this experiment of trying all kinds of different things that men value to see if he can find true satisfaction in them.
He begins with wisdom and knowledge and concludes that these lead to more questions and more frustrations because not everything has an answer. Then he tries all kinds of pleasure, but saw that these leave you empty and longing for more. Next he throws himself into work and once again sees the emptiness in working hard only to leave all that he has accomplished to someone who comes after him. Someone who may be less qualified, less hard working, and less thankful or caring.
I can’t help but think of all the high rolling people who are a part of the Hollywood scene. Doesn’t it appear that they are constantly looking for that more lavished lifestyle? One mansion is no longer enough, a garage filled with 10 exotic cars needs an 11th. Five million dollars per movie now needs to be 12 million.
While it’s easy to point fingers none of us are off the hook here. We do the same thing on a smaller scale. How quickly do new clothes seem old and unsuitable? How fleeting is that new car feel and smell? And once we’re settled into a new home our old furniture and appliances don’t seem good enough. Many move from state to state, leaving friends, family, and church in pursuit of a bigger home or more money. And when we get what we want we quickly learn that the happiness and satisfaction it promised is very short-lived and not what we were truly seeking. John A. James called all these worldly things and pursuits “beautiful bubbles”. They are fragile and fleeting.
While Ecclesiastes is a somber book, it does have moments of sunshine. And our verses for today reveal some of this warm light.
We can find enjoyment and satisfaction in the things we have, the work we do, and the experiences we get to be involved in if we fear the Lord and see his hand in all things.
This means we need to learn to trace all that we have back to the author of our life. God gives the job, He gives the success, He gives the creativity, He gives the wealth. The creator of life made our children and placed them in our families. The piles of laundry show us God’s generosity, and the dishes all over our counters remind us of God’s daily provision. They are the “product of his creative power” and “the gifts of his providential bounty to us” (Matthew Henry). Seeing God as provider of all things and purpose behind all things moves us to live thankful, joyful, and meaningful lives.
Even in our hard circumstances we see the hand of God. He uses difficulty to strengthen and change us. He uses trials to bring to light what we really believe about Him, and through difficulty and loss we learn that there is only one God who can help, provide, and fill our hearts with gladness and joy.
When we begin to trace all things back to God, we will see that our satisfaction must be found in him alone, so that no matter what happens to our stuff, our work, our health, or our experiences we can find fulfillment and joy because we have God and in Him we have everything that makes life worth living.
Let’s talk: How has God used a difficulty in your life to bring you closer to Him?
Looking to Jesus,
Did you miss Wednesday’s post? View it here!
Hi, I reading this blog and understand that we simply to apreciate amd thank God our heavenly Father for everything in life.
I grew up always going to church on Sundays and going to Sunday school. My parents always made sure went to mass. I was born agsin when I was 12 and my dad became a pastor that same year to. I never really took God seriously until I started having marital problems four years ago. I am now 38 years old. All this time trying to make it on my own. God simply show me that I need him in my life. It only then that I realy began reading my Bible. I began doing the devotionals in You Version an finally landed on LGG. It is God’s Will and I than him everyday for it. I am happier these days. I bring all my trouble to God every morning and asking God to help me to show my kids His way.
Thank you Lord for being there for me all my life.
Thank you LGG for the insight in Gods Word.
Bless you all.
Angela,
Thanks for sharing your story with us. It’s amazing how we find greater purpose and meaning in life when we go through difficult times and have to surrender our lives up to Him for help and strength. He is such a patient and loving Heavenly Father to us!
Blessings,
Lyli, LGG Encourager
Thank you for this article. Also growing up in a Christian home, I always knew that nothing would work out unless I had God at the center of my life, my work and my relationships. I knew and understood the concept of putting God above all else, but didn’t fully follow that truth in my heart until I was in college. It took trials and times of extreme pain and hurt in my life to fully surrender.
I am still facing a wound that is slowly healing, but this process has led me to begin to rely completely on our Lord. I am now realizing how some of the most painful experiences I have gone through have been for good, as it has made me realize how much I need God, and God alone before anything else to work out.
Jenny,
I am so thankful that we have a good God that comes into our broken places with healing. Keep pressing in to Him! He is going to use your story to bring encouragement to others and bring glory to His name. He’s got big plans for you!
Blessings,
Lyli, LGG Encourager
I trust in the Lord with all my heart, and I lean not on my own understanding. I acknowledge the Lord in all my ways, and He will direct my path. Proverbs 3:5-6
Love that Scripture passage, Karen! One translation says “He makes our paths straight.” I am so thankful that God knows the way and is guiding us step by step.
Blessings,
Lyli, LGG Encourager
I’m learning it’s all about perspective and what we choose to focus on. I love your statements about piles of laundry and dishes being God’s provision for I get so easily frustrated by them! It’s learning to see God in all things. It’s learning to be grateful for all things. It’s remembering that God knows exactly where we need to be and what we need. It’s keeping our focus on Him and His word. I’m definitely still learning these lessons daily but I’m finding freedom as I learn them and also increased joy.
Lauren,
I love your perspective. Recently, I came across a blog post on the internet that echoed your sentiments and really impacted my thinking. It’s all about our frame of reference. Basically, the point of the article was that instead of saying “have to,” we should say “get to.” I don’t have to do laundry today. I get to do laundry today. — I need to remember what a privilege is is to be alive and able bodied and to even own a washing machine. Today, I get to live, and that is a gift from God to be thankful for always.
Blessings,
Lyli, LGG Encourager
I am taking this with me today….. “I don’t have to, I get to….” Love that!!!
My husband and I have been struggling with infertility for almost 4 years now. After numerous procedures have failed we still have faith that God has a plan for us and that he will fulfill His promises and we will be parents one day. We are now starting the process to becoming foster parents!
How awesome, best of all to you and your family. God has amazing ways of bringing what we need to our lives, even if it sometimes takes a different form than what we originally thought
Kalyn,
Wow! I am so excited for you and your husband as you step out in faith as foster parents! Praying for you today.
Blessings,
Lyli, LGG Encourager
Yes Lyli’s, I’ve heard that one too. Our attitude has A LOT to do with the language in which we speak to ourselves!
I was widowed in 2007. I have since remarried and have two beautiful daughters; however, those early years for very dark. I had two options, I could choose to run to God or I could choose to run away from Him. I chose the former. God did not take my husband to teach me a lesson but He did use my experience to help me draw closer to Him.
Dawn,
Thanks for sharing your journey with us today. My best friend became a widow two years ago, and walking with her on this road has strengthened our friendship and our love for a God who weeps when we weep. He hates death as much as we do, and He promises to make all things new one day. In the meantime, He is present with His comfort and courage.
Blessings,
Lyli, LGG Encourager
I ask for your prayers. God is trying to teach me something; I believe it is to turn things over to him and have total faith he will take care of them. But, my husband is without work, both my children are bi-polar and are finding it hard to leave home. My heart is so wounded. I have tried to bring God into all their lives, but they are faltering; nothing good happens to us or when it does and we believe we are turning the corner things fall apart. I’m sure God is in there somewhere, I just don’t see it yet.
Praying, Karen.
Praying for your family, Karen
Karen,
Praying for you and each member for your family today. God has promised to never leave you or forsake you. In Isaiah 41:10, He promises: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” This verse and others like it has helped carry my husband and I through a very difficult season in our lives. We learned to take it one day at a time and pray as we go. I would encourage you to connect with your local church and a good Christian counselor who will help your family as you fight to get back on solid ground. God will carry you on the days when you feel like you can’t keep going. I am so thankful that you are here on this page and connecting to Bible study. May God encourage your heart today. You are not alone. You’ve got lots of praying sisters here!
Lyli, LGG Encourager
I will add you to my prayers. I’m so sorry you are going through this situation. I don’t pretend to know what you think or feel but I do know that God hears us when we pray and that He is always good.
Karen, I can relate to what you are going through. I have a bi-polar child myself and his behavior really became noticeable when my husband and I separated. It took a few tries, but he is now on Abilify and doing much better. This son does not believe in God which makes it very hard for the rest of us. I am praying for you and your children and hope you will do the same for us. Bless you.
Phyllis B.
I’ve always know God to be in my life. But 4 yrs ago I accepted him fully in my life and 4 mos. Ago I finally started to read his word. My children and I have had a rough 8 mos. My heart has been broken and I lost my mother to a battle of cancer. We’ve moved cities again and the family we had is now broken up. I know God has been with us. I’m learning his word, seeking my purpose in his plan. I’m struggled off and on with anxiety but am now leaning fully on god, letting him take control of our lives. I’m tired of worrying and I’m tired of crying. He’s been helping me realize that only through him can I have peace, and comfort. Only he can fill the void and mend my broken heart. And only he can protect and give my children and I the full love we need to continue our journey seeking him.
Thank you Lord for not giving up on me and for loving me unconditionally.
I have faced many difficulties in my life that have drawn me closer to Christ. As a Christian, I am not exempt from problems in my life. We all have our stories. We can share how we made it through these storms with others that are having the same difficulties. We can turn our sorrows into joy as we help others see how Christ can pull them through.
James 1:2-3 (NIV) says: 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Today’s reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to ______________ and a time to ___________……..
Notice that in the verses 2-8, the first part is one thing and the 2nd part is the opposite. It lets me know, there is sunshine after the rain. There is a season that will pass over. I can discover that there is something to be gained from all of the trials that I encounter. Otherwise, I would have little to encourage others about. How many times have I gone through hard times and been encouraged by someone that has been in the same situation in which I find myself? That person of encouragement becomes so valuable to me, Like a guiding light that God has sent to me to help me through. There are seasons in life. They come and go. What am I gaining from these seasons? What am I learning? How can I encourage others from what I am going through?
These verses also tell me that I should not become stagnant in my seasons. There is a time to move on so that my season does not overtake me. Even nature needs all of the seasons for proper growth. Too much of one season could keep me in a bad place. Christ, Prayer, and God’s word can bring us through the good times as well as the bad (the seasons of life).
I had a niece that mourned the loss of her baby when he died. She mourned him for years and began to neglect herself , her husband, and even her other 2 children. Someone came to her and said, “It is okay to mourn the loss of your son but it is not okay to continue mourning.” These simple words woke her up to recovery…….. a time to mourn and a time to dance. She is dancing now and helping others through her experiences!
6 years ago I felt God saying “Step away from your career & into your family”. That was hard! I loved what I was doing, enjoyed the travel, girlfriends, prizes, cash, exhilaration of pushing harder & doing a little more to see the goal accomplished. Yet my husband was unhappy, & although my kids were loved & cared for, having others influence their lives more than me was not serving us well. It was a challenging time, realizing “friends for life” was really only as long as we were doing life the same way. Being placed in the “naughty chair” because I chose to do business In a way that worked for me, out of the limelight, made me feel insignificant, alone, bad…. Receiving no recognition for accomplishments (still in top 10 producers!) because I didn’t go to the big events made me battle bitterness. But you know what? After 6 years, I have done a LOT of self reflection & personal growth & realized, even tho part of an organization that was built on God & family & making a difference, we still get caught up in the American Dream, selfish ambition, money, worldly success & approval addiction. It’s all meaningless!! It’s fleeting & conditional & expensive! God called me. I was faithful. He has provided abundantly more than I could have imagined, knowing the desires of my heart even more than I!! I have invested time in my kids, having great relationships with them & my husband. I have no “mommy guilt” to wrestle with. I have been privileged to lead Womens ministry & worship, continuing to encourage & speak into the lives of others. I have had time to look after our home, my health, explore new things, & invest in spiritual growth. No, it’s not perfect. I still wrestle with a desire to do more & make more & be more. Life still has challenging lessons. But it’s awesome!! AND God has continued to bless my “sideline business”, to which I can take little credit. Simply “I was faithful to do as He called & He continues to provide a decent paycheque.” Don’t get caught up in worldly success & approval of others. God knows the desires of your heart more than you & will provide fulfillment, joy, peace & prosperity when we keep HIM at the forefront!! I knew this study of Ecclesiastes would be a great reminder of what truly matters!!
I appreciated the statement that difficult times bring yo light what we truly believe about God. I have been a Christian for a long time but facing breast cancer a year ago really showed me how weak my faith really was. I still sense that weakness as I try to live as a survivor instead of falling back into worry and fear. I know this is a lifelong struggle but I am seeing progress by His grace.
I am a VERY emotionally sensitive person. And my husband, (of 22 years) was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome about 3 years ago. We have been to countless counselors and it never really helps. As a m.o.f., it makes things worse. Autism Spectrum Disorder encompasses A.S., and it is well known that they all are empathy disorders. Pair that with my being so… emotionally sensitive and you can imagine that we tend to clash. But, God is showing me that He is using this relationship to find out how much I depend on Him first. And not my husband. He is stretching me to make me more like Jesus. It does hurt sometimes. But I realize that ‘He’ will have to do this in and through me, by the power of His Holy Spirit in me!
Thank you for the blog. God has a time for everything and we do see the wonders of God in our lives. As humans we do tend to always want more and forget to see how blessed we are because God has exactly what we need and how he gets us closer to him.
I am so thankful for the daily messages and encouragement. I recently moved from my home,family,friends and job I loved in Texas to Wisconsin as my husband wanted to move back to where he grew up. My heart aches with such pain everyday to return to all I know and love as I feel like such a stranger here. I praise God everyday and thank Him that he is going to use me somehow to glorify Him. The stories I read daily help me to see God has a purpose in all things in our lives. Thank you to all the women who have opened up their hearts to me each morning.
Our family went through a nightmare when one of our daughters was sexually assaulted and almost strangled to death. Our hearts were broken and we went through the grieving process of sorts and God has used this to draw each of us closer to each other and more importantly to Him. This topic is not something you share openly over lunch with friends but yet you still need to vent! I learned to cry and shout out to God how much we were hurting. We talked to our pastor and his wife at the time and he had nothing to say really. We learned so much about who we can always rely on…God! We have come through the worst of it and now our daughter is going to give lectures about what happened to her and how other young women can prevent this. I’m so thankful that God is allowing us to help others. There was a time when we thought this would never happen but here we are, knowing how good God is and how much more we trust Him when we come to another trial.
God used my marriage ending to bring me closer to Him. I know that sounds crazy since marriage is a sacred covenant but I walked away from God when I got married. As hard as it was, God showed me His hand every step of the way. Looking back, I realized He knew exactly what He was doing. Sometimes its hard to imagine that He knew how broken I would be but He also knew that He would heal me. I live a beautiful life today! God has used me to be his light and salt and I thank him every day for the opportunities he gives me but for being everything to me!
Thank you so much for saying that. Although my ex and I went to church, it was like that was the only hour we actually spent with God. We both taught Sunday School for a while and would discuss it some. However I didn’t feel like I was close to God. Like you, I have felt closer to God since. I thank you because I was the one that filed for divorce although he left, and I have always felt guilty about it. Yet I know this was best for our children and us. So glad you are walking with Jesus now.
I wake up every morning needing GOD in my life, and by participating in your studies I find that when I do not involve myself on a daily basis, or do not give him glory in all things in my life than turmoil comes in and try to destroy what God has given me. I feel like something enters my body and is just pulling away at dragging me down. I do not have the spirit of satisfaction that I feel when I wake and place GOD first in my life. I was not born with parents that grew up in the church, or took me to church every Sunday I had to receive that from someone other then my parents, but I did receive it and I believe that is what keeps me coming for more. I know that everyday I have to wake and give GOD control of everything any desire that I seek out in my life for his approval. I am praying to GOD to keep me growing in his word, and I want to thank GOD for helping find this website of glorifying , loving , and teaching women of GOD. I thank GOD for stepping in and taking control, because I do not know anything without him, and how grateful I am for his LOVE.
Thank you, it reconnnected me to God in the right time of need.
I never grew up in an environment where God was the way of life. However I found God, and since then he has been guiding me to the right path. Recently with real life getting to me, I felt so far away from God . But now after reading your article I feel as though I am back, closer to God. That there is a meaning into my life. So thank you.