Ecclesiastes 8:15-17 (Ants vs. Albert Einstein)

¹⁵ So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun. ¹⁶ When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the labor that is done on earth—people getting no sleep day or night— ¹⁷ then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.

Last week, we looked at some of the inequalities of this life: wicked people getting what the good people deserve and good people getting what the wicked deserve, for example.  And Solomon wraps it up today by saying, "You can try as hard as you want, stay up all day and all night, research it, analyze it, question it, but you will never fully understand God and His ways." 

How anti-climactic!

But it's true.  I need to get it into my little skull that I will never fully understand God and what He does.  I am an ant, and He is Albert Einstein.  No matter how hard I try, it is not within my human capacity to understand His thinking.

Just this week, I was talking with a friend about how upset the world gets when Christians say there is only one way to Heaven -- Jesus Christ.  The world thinks we are being judgmental and intolerant (to which I remind myself, it's not I that has made it that way, but God, so really they should be taking it up with Him).  And as we were talking, she quoted someone (whom I cannot remember now) who said something along the lines that rather than be offended that there is only one way to get to Heaven and be in the presence of God, we should be knocked to our knees that He made any way at all.

Why does Albert Einstein care about the little ants at all?  Why would he willingly leave the comforts of the human world and take on the form and ways of an ant just so the ants could understand him better?  And when he became an ant, why did he put up with the ways the other ants treated him, when he could've easily snapped his fingers and become a human again?  He chose to remain an ant until death because he loved the ants that much, and he wanted to prove it to them.

I don't know the ways of God.  I never will fully understand them.  But based on what God did for me, I know that He is Love.  I know that He is trustworthy and good.

So, I don't need to figure it all out.  Admitting that and owning that really does relieve some weight off of my shoulders.  

He is God, so I will let Him deal with the God-sized problems.  In the meantime, I will deal with my own ant-sized problems and try to live obediently for Him.  I can enjoy life, as Solomon says in verse 15, and eat, drink, and be glad -- I don't have to carry around the burdensome load of worry just because I don't have it all figured out.  It's okay to be joyful without all the answers.

Being a Christian does not mean that life will be easy, prosperous, and good all the time.  God wants more for us than the easy road that leads to no where.  But being a Christian does mean that when the road starts to become winding, I can be still and know that HE is God.  A good, trustworthy, and loving God.  And He's way smarter than Einstein, anyway.

Ecclesiastes 8:11-14 (Glowing Faces in the Dark)

 
I can't shake it.  I can't stop thinking about the lives of those three women, held captive in a dark, cold basement, chained to the wall for the majority of the day until their captor decided he would have his way with them.  Then beaten and bruised, they go back to the wall to wait until tomorrow, wondering how long until they would be rescued or if they would ever be rescued, wondering about the lives of the babies who were lost, wondering what they did to deserve this.

For. Over. Ten. Years. 

¹¹ When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. ¹² Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him.  

The captor of these women thought he would get away with this crime forever.  He had not been caught for a decade, and for 3, 650 days, it appeared he was going to get away with his unimaginable behavior.  How is that so?  Here Solomon tells us that nothing has changed in the past 2,500 years since he wrote this: wicked people will commit horrible crimes, live long lives, and appear to get away with what they're doing.

¹³ Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.

But even if someone gets away with their crimes for many years, Solomon says that "the good life" is reserved for the people who fear God.  Money crimes, sex crimes, drug crimes, abuse crimes -- it doesn't matter.  The lives of those who commit such acts are flat and colorless (like a shadow) compared to those who honor and serve God. 

 ¹⁴ There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.

And that's not the worst of it.  Solomon says there's something else horribly common on this earth and that is when good people get what the wicked people deserve and the wicked get the blessings of the good people.  This is tough to take, especially when it happens to you.

I've been following the story of an American pastor in Iran, Saeed Abedini, who was sentenced to an eight year prison term for sharing the news of Jesus Christ in Iran.  He is being held in a tight and brutal prison, enduring many beatings, solitary confinement, and the like.  His young wife and children are still living in Idaho.

He doesn't deserve this.  He's not hurting anyone, yet he is being treated among the worst criminals and even the other prisoners abuse him.

He was put in solitary confinement earlier this month for a week.  Solitary confinement is considered by some to be one of the cruelest forms of punishment, and has found to induce
"anxiety, headaches, chronic tiredness, trouble sleeping, impending nervous breakdown, perspiring hands, heart palpitations, loss of appetite, trembling hands and nightmares[...]suicidal thoughts, perceptual distortions, chronic depression, emotional flatness, violent fantasies, social withdrawal and ruminations were present [even after] a short time after admittance."

But when Saeed was released earlier this week, that was not the case.  According to his wife's facebook page: (italics mine)
"Saeed's family [the ones living overseas] got to visit him at Evin Prison today since he has now been released from solitary confinement. He said he felt many praying and the time in solitary was a time of intimacy with God. He said when he came out the other prisoners said he was glowing! He was filled with more joy and peace after solitary than going in!!! All of the prisoners were shocked at the change! This is because of your prayers!"

Even in hardship, God is with the righteous.  The reports of Saeed "glowing" reminded me of Moses' return from the top of Mt. Sinai after being with God there.  If the Lord meets us at the top of mountains, surely He also meets us in the darkness of our prison cells.

I know that our world is broken.  It's falling apart around us as it continues its search for meaning apart from Jesus Christ, and many things we see and experience don't make sense.  But even in the darkest hours, He is still there, walking beside us and holding our hand.

He will never leave you, no matter what comes.  And knowing that, makes even the dark places seem a little less cold.  I am so grateful that we never walk alone.

We must remember to seek Him, even when we don't understand the whys.  For even in the darkest of places, with Him our face can glow.
 

Ecclesiastes 8:7-8 (White Knuckles)

Right now, I could tell you about three or four major things in my life that could easily keep me awake at night.  Perhaps for you, some of those major things might be subjects we find in our verses for today: a horrible boss, your future, the wars of our country (both physical and hypothetical), or death -- perhaps yours or someone else's that you love.

But I didn't lose sleep last night.  In fact, I might have slept a little too well.  Know why?  Because all those things are out of my control.

I'm learning this lesson in a major way right now.  See, in the last couple years, just when I thought I'd recovered from the loss of my mom, I lost more people.  No one close to me has died since then, thankfully, but a handful of my favorites have moved out of state -- including a couple friends and two of my three sisters.  Those moves have hit me HARD. 

My biggest fear before losing my mom to cancer was the death of a parent, and then she died.  So, I have tried really hard since then to barricade myself with a wall of friends who I knew would never "leave me"...and then they left.

And they should leave -- they were leaving for great jobs and great graduate schools and great spouses, and those are all great reasons to leave.  Yet, here I now found myself without them.  And feeling somewhat betrayed.  But they weren't leaving me, they were going to these great things.  Why do I always have to make it about me?

Regardless, I cried.  I pouted to myself.  I thought our relationships would be over forever.  I'm not a phone person, so if we can't just meet up for a cup of coffee on the spur of the moment, then clearly, we aren't going to be able to stay friends! 

But God, in his ever-gentle way, has been teaching me how to slowly release the white-knuckle grip I mentally have on the people around me that I love and has been reminding me that I have no control over what other people choose to do, and for goodness sake, Molly, their moves really have very little to do with you.

And so it is with horrible bosses, friends and family who move away, our future, and death and war:

⁷ Since no one knows the future,
    who can tell someone else what is to come?
⁸ As no one has power over the wind to contain it,
    so no one has power over the time of their death.
As no one is discharged in time of war,
    so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

There are many things which we cannot control, for none of us has any power to contain the decisions of others, and to lose sleep over them is futile -- we just wake up less rested, more grumpy, and less productive the next day.  Instead, in these things, can we take all that we have learned in Ecclesiastes so far, and entrust these things to our loving and good God?  If the results of these things depended on me, I'd be worried sick.  But it's not up to me, it's up to God.  And He is a lot more dependable than me anyway.

So, here's what I know I can control:  I read my Bible this morning and am trying to live by it.  I have and will love my husband today and try to serve and honor him.  I haven't slandered anybody yet today.  I gave my dog and cat some attention.  I am going to go to work and do my job the best that I can.  Later today, I'm going to call some of those people I love who have moved away and let them know that I'm thinking about them and miss them.  

I'm happy and yet I've got struggles (and that's just one of them).  We all do.  And these things are on my mind, yes, but they don't weigh me down, because I'm trusting God with them.  This is not a passive approach to life, but rather a conscious decision to surrender to the fact that I am not God, but I do trust The One who is.  He directs the wind, not me.

As one author puts it, "I know who holds tomorrow even if I don't know what tomorrow holds."

Do you believe the same?

Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 8:2-6 (Horrible Bosses)

 As we break apart this idea of remaining poised, let's look deeper at the three areas here that Solomon says we will probably need some poise: bosses and leaders, our deaths, and war/wickedness in verses 2 through 9.

I'm finding that with this idea of poise, it takes a lot more work than I originally thought.  Trying to remain poised in situations that involve other people is difficult, because they aren't trying to work on "poise" the way I am!

I am grateful to say that I have not had many experiences where I've had horrible bosses, but I know stories of people very dear to me who have: selfish, moody, out-for-self kind of bosses.  Perhaps you can relate to being under the weight of such "leaders," or perhaps during any given presidential term you may feel that you are under a weight as you wait out their term.

Regardless of whatever authority you may be under, remain poised, Solomon says:

² Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. ³ Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. ⁴ Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

⁵ Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,
    and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
⁶ For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,
    though a person may be weighed down by misery.

There may be a proper time and procedure to speak to a boss about something, but Solomon says, don't be in a hurry to do it.  Bosses will do what bosses will do.  You serve their pleasures and commands, not your own.  And ultimately, they are still under The Boss, Himself.  

We are called to obey authority.  Don't abandon that position.  Even if you have a horrible boss, don't panic.  God sees, and it takes patience and trust in God for us to choose to submit to frail, human authority.

Remember David living under the evil King Saul?  He had multiple opportunities to kill Saul; yet, he had promised God that he would not take Saul's life into his own hands.  So he waited.  Under the evil leadership of a man who wanted him dead!  It took poise to not take Saul out.  Eventually, God took him out!

We can't control everything in life and that's OK.  Obey the moral will of God and do what He commands us to do.  Solomon reminds us that the obedient man "will come to no harm."  If your life is characterized by willful obedience and sumbission to the authority above you, there will be a "proper time and place" for dealing with problems.  When you're obeying the will of God, you don't have to worry.

You probably can't get your mean boss fired.  You have no control over that.  But what you do have control over is you.  Are you doing well with the things that ARE in your control?

A wise and poised follower of Christ knows He can change things in a heartbeat and, therefore, can rest in the sovereignty of God.

As far as my family member goes, the horrible boss in that situation got demoted...without this person having to do anything!  It took a few years, but his character/ability was found out. 

Be still.  God will take care of it.

Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 8:1 (Poise and Joy)

I'm awed by the famous women of the former decades -- Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and the like.  They seem to radiate beauty and confidence and femininity in a way that makes me say, yeah, it's good to be a woman.  Or how about the stories of heroes who seem to just know what they should do in a moment of crisis and do it without a second thought?  All of these people possess one same, amiable quality: poise.

Poise is defined as 'a dignified, self-confident manner or steadiness.'  Don't you wish you could have a dignified, self-confident manner and steadiness no matter what comes your way?

Heavy, wall-to-wall rush hour traffic when you're already late for your cousin's surprise party?  No biggie, I've got poise.

Berating from your co-worker about the project you screwed up when he was out golfing with a client for the fifth time this week?  Just shruggin the shoulders, I've got poise.

One kid screaming in her high chair with pureed peas all over her face while the other one is clinging to your left ankle begging you not to make her take a nap, and then the dog poops on the floor?  Ain't no thing, I've got poise.

Or perhaps it's something even bigger: a diagnosis, a visit from the police, a pink slip as the bills are piling up.  How do we maintain poise in the midst of the life-altering moments?

Who is like the wise?
    Who knows the explanation of things?
A person’s wisdom brightens their face
    and changes its hard appearance.

The thing is, we don't want poise just for high-society's sake and looking put-together; rather, poise, for a Christian, is a sign of wisdom.

Do you have joy today?  Well, do you have a Bible in your hand?  The Word integrated into our life, and the Biblical wisdom it produces brings joy and poise, no matter the circumstances.

Wisdom brings poise because a person who has Biblical wisdom is assured of what is right.  They understand who they are, where they came from, where they are going, how their sin is and can be removed, and what the will of God is for their life.  There is no greater joy than to know the answers to these great life questions, and there is no other place to go for the answers than the Bible. 

My husband, Josh, used to make fun of me, but I hold to this: many times, you can tell if a person is a Christian just by looking at them.  

I'm not talking about the "I go to church with my wife because she makes me" kind of Christian (though good for you for going at all), but I'm talking about the kind of Christian who has asked God some tough questions in the midst of dark times and saw that God doesn't leave when we ask questions, who cried alone in her bed in the middle of the night only to be comforted by Scripture, who thinks often of Jesus throughout each day and tries to live for Him in obedience.  There is something about their faces.  It doesn't happen often, but I will run into them in a grocery store only to start talking later about church, or chat with them in the coffee line at a bookstore only to find them in the Christian book aisle a few minutes later, or hear an interview on the news of what kind thing someone did only to hear them reference Christ a few minutes later.  There is just a gentleness and tenderness in their eyes, a brightness.

This does not happen often, but it does happen.  And Josh believes me now after just having had this experience with a co-worker who he always thought was a nice, stand-up woman...turns out, she loves Jesus, too!  I'm telling you, there's a "brightness of their face" as these verses reference, and it's real.  It's hope.  It's truth.  It's a security in uncertain times.

Studying the Word gives wisdom, and wisdom will make you poised and full of joy.

As Clairee says in Steel Magnolias, "Smile!  It increases your face value!"

You don't need a face lift, my friends, just read Scripture!



Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 (A Double-Whammy)

²¹ Do not pay attention to every word people say,
    or you may hear your servant cursing you—
²² for you know in your heart
    that many times you yourself have cursed others.

This was a double-whammy today.  

Verse 21 -- People are going to say mean things about you to others.

Verse 22 -- You've done the exact same thing, too.

And both are true.  Do you know why?  Because both of you are sinners.  We all are sinners.

This reminds me that I have to go beyond just saying I'm a sinner, to really believing at my core that I am so far from where God wants me to be that I am 100 percent dependent on God's grace.  Without Him, I'm nothing.  Left to myself, I'm ruined.

With all this "self-esteem" talk these days, I wonder if we have glossed over the Truth of ourselves: Yes, we all have something to give and we needn't walk around with our head between our legs all the time, but we also must remember that we are worth very little, except that Jesus crowns us with righteousness.  A sinner, crowned like a queen.  Now, that's grace.

In fact, I can pretty much guarantee that you read this blog because you want to grow.  You know you're not perfect and that there's always more to learn.  And I can also guarantee that if you knew about me what God knows, you wouldn't be reading this blog.  We're all sinners...there but for the grace of God.

So, when I hear that someone is talking about me (as I just heard this week, in fact, what perfect timing), I can let it go.  I, too, have cursed others, slandered them behind their back, complained about them, and torn them down when they weren't there to defend themselves.

I'm not proud of those moments at all.  But remembering them reminds me that I'm no better than anyone else, and who cares about anyone else, because I know that I need a Savior.  I'm a sinner, too, just like the worst of 'em.

Solomon shoots it straight: people WILL talk badly about you, so expect it.  But remember that you have done the exact same thing.  So, don't be surprised when it happens.  Instead, extend grace.



Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 7:15-20 (Knowledge with Humility)

¹⁵ In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:

the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
    and the wicked living long in their wickedness.
¹⁶ Do not be overrighteous,
    neither be overwise—
    why destroy yourself?
¹⁷ Do not be overwicked,
    and do not be a fool—
    why die before your time?
¹⁸ It is good to grasp the one
    and not let go of the other.
    Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.

¹⁹ Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful
    than ten rulers in a city.

²⁰ Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,
    no one who does what is right and never sins.

Perhaps you need to hear this today:  you do not have control.  

I needed to hear that yesterday.  It was a doozie of a day at work, and I was beginning to get all wrapped up in the silliness of it all when a co-worker reminded me, "It's out of our control."  And she was right.

We spend an awful lot of time fretting over things that are simply out of our control, don't we?  Our anxiety and constant thinking about them doesn't change a thing.  And when I can remember this very fact, and can let go of whatever stress I may feel about not being in control, I suddenly feel free!  Amazing how that works!

Here's one thing we don't have control over:

In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:

the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
    and the wicked living long in their wickedness.

Have you seen incredibly good, joyful, righteous people die young? And all the while, have you seen wicked people living longer than all the kind people around them?  I've seen both.  Many times!

But we are not in control.  He is.  I don't get it most of the time, but when I do see wicked people living a long time, I often remember when Peter reminded us that "The Lord is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).  He's giving everyone as much time as possible to decide to turn to Him, even the most evil people there are.  And despite their evil, He can still use them for His purposes.  So don't be surprised when bad people live long.

We don't know it all, and we don't know what God is doing; therefore,

Do not be overrighteous,
    neither be overwise—
    why destroy yourself? 

 Do not be overwicked,
    and do not be a fool—
    why die before your time? 

 It is good to grasp the one
    and not let go of the other.
    Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.

Solomon reminds us here to not be "overrighteous."  Don't go around thinking you have all the answers and you know better than everyone else.  Pride comes before the fall.

And don't chuck it all because you're not in control and don't know all that God is doing by saying flippant things like, "Well, I won't wear a seat belt.  God will keep me alive if He wants me here," because that's just foolish and you may just die before your time.

Rather, we must hang on to both of these.  Avoid extremes in the area of our hearts and attitudes.  In this life of inequality, we need to focus on one thing: to live in godly fear of the Lord and to honor Him.  We need to focus on ourselves, not on how other people are doing in their Christianity. 

If evil people are still living, that's okay.  God's got it.  It's out of my control.  And if good people are dying, we don't need to be shocked.  God warns us that that will happen on this Earth.  Either way, we trust Him, and we keep working on ourselves.  We need to remember that no matter how righteous we may think we are, we are still just a sinner saved by the grace of God.

As John Newton, the former slave trader and author of "Amazing Grace," said, "When I get to heave, I will be amazed at three things.  I will be amazed at those I thought would be there who are not there, those I did not think would be there who are there, and the fact that I am there at all."

Early in his ministry, Paul called himself the least of the apostles.  Later on he said he was the least of all Christians.  Then he said he was the chief of sinners.  The older he got, the more he saw God, the lower he became in his own estimation.

Like these two men, I want to remain humble.  The longer I know Christ, the more humble I hope to become.  But I can tell you this, humility won't come when we think we have the last word on knowledge and righteousness.

Let's leave that to Jesus.

¹⁹ Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful
    than ten rulers in a city.

²⁰ Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,
    no one who does what is right and never sins.

There is nothing better than wisdom.  There is nothing better than walking with God and revering Him.  Just don't let it go to your head.  Beacause there is not a single one of us who is perfect and has it all together and knows everything.  But keep learning anyway.  Stay in the Word.

In fact, no matter how many degrees you have, if you don't soeak in the Bible, you're stumbling through a minefield.  But if the only book you study is is the Bible and its wisdom, and you have no other degrees, you'll still have a joyful, happy life.  You may not have lake house with a jet ski, but can you live with that?  Wisdom is better than ten rulers.  You can surround yourself with the greatest, most knowledable men, but if you know and fear God, you're ahead of the pack.

So it's good to be wise, but make sure you temper it by "being downwind of yourself," as one author likes to put it.  Don't focus on the fact that you're growing compared to the people around you.  Look at Jesus, and let Him be your standard...then you'll remember who you really are.

I'm just a sinner saved by Grace.




Molly Monroe

 

Ecclesiastes 7:8-14 (The Good 'Ol Days)

⁸ The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
    and patience is better than pride.
⁹ Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
    for anger resides in the lap of fools.

¹⁰ Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
    For it is not wise to ask such questions.

¹¹ Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing
    and benefits those who see the sun.
¹² Wisdom is a shelter
    as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
    Wisdom preserves those who have it.

¹³ Consider what God has done:

Who can straighten
    what he has made crooked?
¹⁴ When times are good, be happy;
    but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
    as well as the other.
Therefore, no one can discover
    anything about their future.

Like I said last week, it was a big week for me.  Saturday marked four years since Mom went to Heaven.  And for any of you experiencing significant grief right now, I hope you will allow me to encourage you with this: it does get easier.

I remember people saying that to me, and I waited and waited for the "easier" part to come...it took a bit longer than I thought it would.  Like, years.  But finally in this fourth year, I think I've come up for breath more than I ever have.  I can think of my mom and smile much more than I cry.  And I do have days occasionally where I don't think of her at all, and that had never happened in the first three years.

But for the first three years especially, and even now occasionally, I will think of what verse 10 is saying, and I'll wish for "the good ol' days," when everyone was alive and living under the same room, playing games together and traveling together.  Life seemed so simple, so perfect.  But Solomon immediately says wishing for the good ol' days is not a wise thing to do.

It's so easy for us to live in the past and to wish for the past, isn't it?  

And it's easy for us to go there because thinking about the past and spending energy on "the past" requires nothing of me.  You know, I know, and God knows that I can't change the past -- there's nothing that can be done about what has been.  It's already done.

So spending my time and energy on the past is my easy cop-out to not work on the present.

Sometimes I'd rather stay hovered over The Past because spending time on The Now will hurt.  Thinking about what steps I could take at this moment might require something of me, a sacrifice perhaps.  I might have to deal with my current feelings and emotions, ones I wish I didn't have or could have dealt with in The Past.  What are we trying to avoid by staying focused on The Past?

Or perhaps it's something we're trying to gain?  Perhaps by focusing on The Past, I can go back to the old idols that made me feel safe.  I wonder if by focusing on The Past, I get to feel important again, or loved, or powerful, or free, or young.  

But that's not wise. Why?  Because that is not reality anymore, and staying there will only harm us in the end.

Do you believe that things happen for a Reason?  Do you trust that that old relationship maybe didn't work for your good?  Do you believe that even in loss there is much more to be gained?  Do you believe when God says, "Behold, I am making all things new" (Rev. 21:5) that He also means you, and in order for you to change you can't stay the same and things can't stay the same as they always have been?

If there's one girl who hates change more than anyone, it's me.  Just this week, Josh asked me to switch sides of the bed with him so he can hear better due to a hearing loss he has.  One would think that as his wife I would move in a heartbeat so he could hear better, right?  Wrong.  I have pouted (as light-heartedly as I could) and whined and complained.  It has been difficult for me to move to a new side of the bed.  I've been on the right side for five whole years!  I'm attached to "my side."  I comfortable and secure there.  I don't like change!

But with change comes wisdom (as verses 11-12 tell us).  With wisdom comes a shelter and a comfort that we can't know without change.  And the wisdom we get from facing these changes head-on will preserve us.  It will make us ready for the next time, because there will be a next time.

Verse 13 says to "consider what God has done."  He is the one who allows these things into our lives, but He never does so without a reason.  And we may never know that reason.

Can we trust Him even when He never gives us a reason?

He doesn't owe us anything.  He is God.  His thoughts and ways are much higher than our human minds can ever comprehend.

So, we have to just trust Him.

He knows what He's doing.

"So when times are good," says verse 14, "be happy."  When things are peachy, enjoy them.  Laugh a lot, smile constantly, enjoy every great moment in the day, and just soak up the delight of it all.  God has made these good times.

"But when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other."  He is doing something in you.  Don't miss the blessing by trying to change what cannot be changed.

Adversity and prosperity -- God brings them both.  You can be sure that the future won't look exactly as you hope it will, but you can be sure that with any pain will come wisdom.

And from my own experience, I wouldn't trade it.

Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 7:1-6 (Why Death is Better than Life)

A good name is better than fine perfume,
    and the day of death better than the day of birth.
² It is better to go to a house of mourning
    than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of everyone;
    the living should take this to heart.
³ Frustration is better than laughter,
    because a sad face is good for the heart.
⁴ The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
    but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
⁵ It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person
    than to listen to the song of fools.
⁶ Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
    so is the laughter of fools.
    This too is meaningless.

Now, if you're like me, you read that for the first time and thought, "WHAT?!"  You mean to tell me that death is better than birth, mourning is better than feasting, and frustration is better than laughter?  And then perhaps you thought, "Okay, Mr. Solomon," as you leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms, "I'm listening.  What could you possibly say to make that make sense?"

But, see, I get it.  And if you've suffered any kind of significant trial, perhaps you will, too.

As of this Saturday, my mom will have been in Heaven for four years.  Four. Whole. Years.  I truly can't believe that is the number, and I'm sure every year I will say it again, because I really didn't think I'd make it this long.  I thought I would have died of a broken heart by now.  

But I haven't.

In fact, my heart is much stronger now than it ever was before.

And that's Solomon's point.

For me, cancer and then the death of my mom is what finally put everything in perspective.  And I can say now, without a doubt, that our trials always have a purpose.  They ALWAYS have a very beneficial purpose.

Trials purify you.

Trials show you what you are, because whatever comes out of you when you're hit, that's what you really are.

Trials show you that you can't make it on your own.

Trials perfect you.

Trials make you pray.

Trials make you go to The Word.

Trials make you trust.

Trials make everything you heard in Sunday School become real.

Trials make you turn to Christ.

Trials show you who your truest of friends are.

Trials show you what really matters in life.  And it's not stuff.

Trials prove you -- whether you're a Christ-follower, or just like the idea of being one.

Trials humanize you and make you sensitive.

Trials make you sweeter and gentler.

Trials make you more like Jesus.

So don't think for a moment that your current trials have no purpose or are being inflicted upon you for no reason.  Because it's during the trials that you have a choice -- perhaps one of the biggest choices you will ever make -- are you going to keep holding on to Christ, or are you going to let go of Him and of all you've learned about who He is up to this point?  Are you going to trust that He's working something in you that's bigger than you ever thought, or are you going to walk away from the growth and maturity that He wants to produce in your life?

See, trials do good things in us.  Good things!  But the rub is that these are things we probably would never choose to experience on our own.  So, God has to lead us through some pretty dark waters, perhaps against our will, because He knows that trials are not always The Worst Thing.  Because He knows that trials will make us better than we ever were before.

Our loving God is not as committed to our short-term happiness as He is to our character.  And He knows that to make us better than we are today, we are going to have to walk through a few fires.  He doesn't desire our smiles and laughter as much as He desires our hearts and our devotion and our obedience and our trust.  And so how do we learn those things?

Trials.

If you want Christ, sometimes death is better than life.  Sometimes crying is better than laughing.  Sometimes losing your mom to cancer is better than anything that's ever happened to you before because the pain makes you real.  The pain will get your thinking straight.  The pain will bring you closer to God.  The pain will make you more like Jesus.

I miss my mom like crazy.  I would love nothing more than to have her walk up to me right this moment and tell me she's back.  But I know that the growth I've experienced in the past four years is something I would have never known if she were still here.  Because death brings life, and her death brought new life to my relationship with Jesus Christ and increased my trust in Him.

I know I will see her again, and she knows that, too.

And in the meantime, Lord, just keep strengthening my heart and my love for You.  Keep bringing me trials if that's what's gonna make me more like You.




Molly Monroe

And please tell her I love her.

Ecclesiastes 6:1-12 (For the Love of Money, Part 3)

I know a woman who has a lot.  She has a great family, a beautiful home, a luxury car, takes many nice vacations, wears beautiful jewelry, and buys many nice clothes.  Now, if I stopped there, you might have thought something like, "wow, it must be nice to be her."  Because I did, too, for a while.  But the more I was around her, I noticed that she would often bring her possessions up in conversation -- she wanted to make sure everyone knew just how much she had -- and she she would often make sweeping, verbal judgements of other people completely based on their house size and the neighborhood in which they lived.  

At first, I was angry.  I was angry that she was judging people solely based on their house size.  I was angry that she was constantly bragging about what she had, as if she was rubbing it in my face.  I was angry that she had all of this abundance and rarely shared it with anyone, and if she did, she made sure you knew about it.  And then it hit me:

She doesn't know Jesus.

She has all the stuff money can buy, and yet, she is miserable.  She does not exude joy and love and peace.  She oozes anxiety and judgement and comparison.   And this, Solomon tells us, is a tragedy.

For the final segment on money, we see next a man, who I picture to be much like this woman I know: 

I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: ² God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.
³ A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. ⁴ It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. ⁵ Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man— ⁶ even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?

This man is wrapped in blessings (money, possessions, a large family), and yet, he can't enjoy them all because he doesn't know from Whom these gifts have come.

Do you know how hard that is?  Have you ever received something anonymously?  When I was in elementary school, American Girl dolls were just coming out.  I wanted one so badly, but based on their price, I knew I would never receive one...and I had made peace with that, as much as a ten-year-old can.

Until one day, a huge box from the American Girl company arrived.  I was so confused.  Surely they sent this to the wrong person!  But no, inside was a note for me, but the giver had not signed it.  As I picked up the "Molly" doll from the box, I wanted to be able to thank someone for this incredible gift, but I didn't know who to thank.  It bothered me for years, and for a few days I even had trouble enjoying the gift because I was so focused on who to thank. (I still don't know who gave me that doll, so if you want to come forward, I think it's been long enough.)

We really do want to know who to thank, don't we? And so what a blessing it is to know Who is the Giver in our lives, isn't it?  It allows us the ability to enjoy everything we have been given even more, from a tasty glass of lemonade to a big, schmancy house!

I'm praying that this woman in my life will come to know the Lord, the Giver of all good things, soon.

⁷ Everyone’s toil is for their mouth,
    yet their appetite is never satisfied.
⁸ What advantage have the wise over fools?
What do the poor gain
    by knowing how to conduct themselves before others?
⁹ Better what the eye sees
    than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless,
    a chasing after the wind.

Our appetites for more are large.  Our eyes roam across the earth looking for more that we want, and we are bombarded by commercials, advertisements, and billboards telling us that we "need" more in order to be happy and healthy.  But that's a lie!  God will give us all we need, and His gifts often don't come in the form of material possessions.   

I have a weakness for all things home.  I am on the mailing list of every major home design store.  As those magazines pile up on my counter, I gaze at the stack as I wait until the weekend when I can sit in the sun room and savor each page, dreaming up ideas of what I might do in my own house.  It's a delight, really!

But occasionally, I have caught myself seeing things that look incredible and thinking of how I "need" them, then I think about all that I don't have in these magazines, and suddenly I am no longer content with what I have.  In fact, sometimes in those moments, I can feel myself stepping further into all things worldy.  I forget for a few minutes that we will NEVER be satisfied by stuff, so I need to constantly make it my goal to be content with what I have.

We must be careful that while we work to feed our earthly appetites, our souls are not going hungry.

It might be time for a magazine fast for me.

¹⁰ Whatever exists has already been named,
    and what humanity is has been known;
no one can contend
    with someone who is stronger.
¹¹ The more the words,
    the less the meaning,
    and how does that profit anyone?

¹² For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?

God will not let us be happy through things.  He has stacked the deck of life and determined that life is to know Him.

He has made all things for our pleasure, but they are not meant to be the constituents of a perfect, little life.  If we think that a "perfect life" is the best thing for us, we are sorely mistaken.  God wants us to be happy, but that's not the only thing He wants for us, because He knows that true happiness comes only through walking with Him by faith no matter what life brings.

He gives, and He takes away.  Blessed be the name of the LORD.



Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 5:13-20 (For the Love of Money, Part 2)

¹³ I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
¹⁴   or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when they have children
    there is nothing left for them to inherit.
¹⁵ Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,
    and as everyone comes, so they depart.
They take nothing from their toil
    that they can carry in their hands.

¹⁶ This too is a grievous evil:

As everyone comes, so they depart,
    and what do they gain,
    since they toil for the wind?
¹⁷ All their days they eat in darkness,
    with great frustration, affliction and anger.

¹⁸ This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. ¹⁹ Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. ²⁰ They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.

Few of us know how to handle lots of money.  Think about the man who wins the lottery, but is bankrupt a few years later and worse off than before.  Think of the entertainers who make millions just to spend it all away.  And I think of myself when I get $20 from someone for my birthday -- it's often gone in a matter of 24 hours!

So, I like the honesty of verse 13, "wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners."  Let's be sure: wealth can cause great harm to us.  Hoarding doesn't mean that you aren't spending it -- it just means you aren't sharing it.  It's nothing new, apparently, that people like to hoard their money, and it's also not surprising to God that when we do this, we can be harmed. 

People can be killed because of their money.  They might lose family relationships because of their money and their decisions with that money.  They might become addicted to substances because of their money.  Or they might become the most lonely they've ever been because of their money.

Life can be so much more simple without lots of money.  Sure you can pay all your bills on time, but that might be the single great thing about it.

Have you ever considered that one of God's great mercies to you is He restricts the amount of money you can make?

So, now what if God has given you some money.  Well, here's what Solomon says:

¹⁸ This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. ¹⁹ Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. ²⁰ They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.

No matter how much money we have, we need to work and we need to enjoy what we have!  Enjoy today rather than being concerned about the future.  Do the work God has given you to do, and then come home and spend time with your family, have a nice meal on the back porch together, go buy some frozen yogurt afterwards, and enjoy what God has given you.  Don't hoard it -- share it!  Be thankful and content, and no matter how much you have, God will keep you so busy being glad that you won't have time to look back on what it used to be or on what's to come.




Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 5:10-12) For the Love of Money, Part 1

¹⁰ Whoever loves money never has enough;
    whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
    This too is meaningless.

¹¹ As goods increase,
    so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
    except to feast their eyes on them?

¹² The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
    whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
    permits them no sleep.


I admit, I have had many moments where I've thought things like, "Well, if we could just become wealthy somehow, all our problems would go away."  It is so easy to get caught in the trap that money fixes everything!  We think if we become "wealthy" that we'd have a much better life.  And wealth does serve one great purpose: you would have enough that you don't have to worry about your needs (your real needs, I mean, not our perceived "needs").  But that it truly the only problem it fixes.  In fact, as I have seen in the lives of some of my loved ones, wealth can cause the same amount of problems, just different ones!

Here in Verse 10, we see that loving money puts us in a Catch-22 -- it's wanting something that will never satisfy.  We will never have enough.  I mean, really, have you ever heard someone tell his boss that he doesn't need another raise ever again because he already has plenty?  Or a woman say that she makes $100,000 now and doesn't want to make a cent more?  No!  Even when we reach a financial goal, the satisfaction only remains for a short time...then we want more.  Once you have tasted what its like to have some money, you will want more.  So, don't be fooled by it.  It will not satisfy.

Verse 11 tells us that as we make more money and have more stuff, so increases the people who want to be "a part" of our lives.  Haven't you heard of wealthy people who went bankrupt and also lost all their "friends" because their friends were just around for what they could get?  The great news is that when you don't have lots of money, if someone likes you, it just for who you really are.  Now THAT is something to be thankful for!

And finally, sleep.  If you think you're having a hard time sleeping because of your lack of money, Solomon is telling us here that sleep is even worse for those who have it!  Wealth becomes a major distraction -- constantly checking stocks, moving around investments, always watching your back to make sure no one steals from you, making sure you're constantly making more money so they won't come and take away your playthings.  Do you think this guy can just sit and enjoy a glass of lemonade on the back porch?  I doubt it. Wealth does not generally give rest.

I wonder, have we ever considered that one of God's greatest mercies to us is when He restricts the amount of money we make? 



Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 (Ears Open, Mouth Shut)

5 As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. ² Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.

³ Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.
⁴ When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. ⁵ It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. ⁶ Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.
⁷ Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.


<sup>I remember the day well.  I could smell the meaty sauce she was stirring as I entered through the garage, and before I even saw her face, I was eagerly telling Mom what I wanted, and therefore, what I was going to do that evening with my friends.  I concluded my monologue with, "So I need twenty bucks."


She reminded me that I had not even greeted her yet, to which I'm sure I said a very non-heartfelt "hi," and then she let me know that we would discuss it.  In my teenage narcissism, I began to raise my voice in annoyance and pride to let Mom know that I sure was going to do what I wanted to do.  She quickly and firmly reminded me to "Watch your tone of voice, Molly."  As I should have.

She is the one in control of me.  At that time, she was in control of my schedule.  She has much more authority than I did as a mere sixteen-year-old.  And I should never have approached her that way, especially the part about not even saying "hi" first before I so confidently rattled off what I wanted and what I was going to do.

And that's what Solomon is saying here.  When you approach God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut.  Don't go in listing all the things you want and telling Him all the things you are going to do.  Instead, listen.  And learn.  He is holy, invisible, exalted, and supreme.  I am just a person among billions that live on this earth and can't even get my cat to obey me.

And then we when we do finally speak, we need to watch our words.  We shouldn't make promises to Him that we can't keep, and we shouldn't come at Him pointing our fingers.  He is God.  I am not.

Does that mean that we can't be honest with Him?  Absolutely not.  When my mom died, I can remember a conversation I had with God...well, more like at God, complete with mental finger-pointing.  And yes, He can absolutely handle it, and I think He wants to hear how we're really feeling.  But if I find that whenever I approach Him, I do so with a completed agenda and never allow time to listen for His voice and ask Him if I'm anywhere near where He wants me, then I probably need to, as they say, "check myself before I wreck myself." 

Sometimes I still act like that teenager.  Sometimes I come to the One who loves me and demand what I want without ever considering that He might have a different plan for me.  I spout off all that I am going to do, and consequently, what I need Him to do for me to ensure that plan, without taking into account that He is more concerned about my eternal well-being</sup> than my spur-of-the-moment plans for some fun.

<sup>As I approach God this week,  I want to listen more and talk less. 




Molly Monroe</sup>