Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 (Five-Star Fake)

 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:

I saw the tears of the oppressed—
    and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
    and they have no comforter.
² And I declared that the dead,
    who had already died,
are happier than the living,
    who are still alive.
³ But better than both
    is the one who has never been born,
who has not seen the evil
    that is done under the sun.

Chapter 4 begins with an honest look at the oppression and grief in the world.  Solomon says:

Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:

I saw the tears of the oppressed—
    and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
    and they have no comforter.

He doesn't shy away from the truth.  He doesn't sugar-coat it.  Some of the things we see on this earth are just heart wrenching.  To fully understand the human experience, and even more so God's love for us and His sacrifice and design for us, we have to understand just how miserable it can be without Him.  And hardship doesn't just go away once we have Christ either.  The black keys can sure play louder in our lives at times than the white keys.  Solomon says, it's tough being human!  Can I get an "amen"?!  We are told that we can find perfection down here, but we cannot.  The hurts and pains will not go completely away until Christ returns.  But in the meantime, we have the Prince of Peace, the Comforter, the Calmer of the Seas walking with us and living inside us.

² And I declared that the dead,
    who had already died,
are happier than the living,
    who are still alive.

Solomon knows it, and so do those who have lost a loved one.  How much greater it is to be with Christ in paradise than to be stuck in the muck of this earthly life!  Being alive is not the best place to be, and he reminds us that we can be glad for those who have gone on to be with the Lord.  No more tears, no more strife, no more worry.  All joy. 

³ But better than both
    is the one who has never been born,
who has not seen the evil
    that is done under the sun.

And those verses sure came as a shock to me when I read them.  The Bible mentions miscarriage here.  It talks about the person who did exist but who was never born.  And how that person is better than the living AND the dead because they never had to even endure this earth.  The literally get the best of both worlds!  What a comfort when I'm tempted to stay stuck in the "what might have beens".

I'm not sure why it has taken me almost thirty years to get this, but for the first time, in this season of my life, I'm finally surrendering to the fact that life is hard.  I keep thinking that when _____ happens, then I'll be happy and content and satisfied.  But it's not true.  That's a lie.

A week ago, Josh and I went away for three days together.  We had accumulated a bunch of points on a credit card that we knew we were going to cancel in the upcoming week, so we decided to cash in all of our points and really live it up for the weekend!  We stayed at a five-star hotel, surrounded by beauty and absolute comfort, and we ate incredible food with flavors I'd never tasted and drank impeccable drinks.  It was the high-life.  And yet, even in the midst of "perfection," I worked my way into a major funk on Saturday.  I was experiencing the top that this world has to offer, and yet my heart was heavy about some other things in my life.  I was running in the five-star spa and workout facility all alone on Saturday afternoon, but soon tears were streaming down my face and I was over-whelmed with loneliness.  This isn't supposed to be like this, I thought.  Isn't this moment right here what we humans strive for?  Why isn't it filling me the way I thought it would?

And then I realized what I had thought.  Of course it's not filling me!  It can't.  The only thing that can fill me is Jesus Christ -- all other attempts are just a ruse.  My pain is real, and it won't be mended by some five-star fancy attempt to patch it up.  The only one who can do that is Christ.

So there on the treadmill, I asked Jesus to carry my pain.  He had carried it before, but I'd taken it back.  I heard Him whisper to me "I'm right here, Molly.  You're not alone."  And suddenly all the fanciness found its way back where it belonged:  as something to be enjoyed, not exalted.

As Solomon reminds us, life is hard.  This world under the sun does not have the cure for our pain, our worry, our loneliness, and our sense of worthlessness.  It's good to surrender it all to God and to admit that we can't carry it.  Because, we can't.  Only He can do that.

I don't have all the answers.  I don't know all the whys.  But He does.  

And He carries them much better than I ever can.

Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 (Green Hair)

And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
    in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

 I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment
    both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
    a time to judge every deed.”

Ya know what I appreciate about Solomon as he writes all of this?  He is honest, brutally honest throughout this writing.  As much as I often feel better by putting a positive spin on things, I really appreciate that he is just tellin' it like it is. He doesn't sugar-coat things.  Like this for instance:

And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
    in the place of justice—wickedness was there (vs 16).

Have you noticed, like Solomon, that life is not fair?  Evil people are rulers over entire countries, and in the place of justice often sits a man who just wants to make a lot of money or be given much power, but he may not always care about true justice. Why does God allow those people to remain where they are?  Everyday we come in contact with the injustices of the world, and we may ask, "God, why aren't you doing something NOW to fix this?"

Perhaps it's not just in the big matters, too.  Even in small things, we want justice and we want it now!  The man who cuts you off as you're driving, wouldn't you love for him to get pulled over for speeding about one mile up the road?  And to the person who yelled at you or made you feel inferior, wouldn't you love for her teeth to fall out in the middle of the night?

I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment
    both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
    a time to judge every deed” (vs 17).

God WILL bring justice, He says, for every activity.  Every single one.  But we really don't want justice right now, because if He did bring his justice and judgment to the man who cut us off or the woman who yelled at us, He would also have to bring justice to us. We would have to live with the same judgments and the same consequences now.  So, if we talked about someone behind their back, our tongues would turn green.  If we cut corners so that we didn't have to pay something, then we would go bankrupt in the next month, too.  If we felt a little too puffed up about ourselves, we would suddenly break out in never-before-seen acne and all of our hair would turn green and then fall out within weeks, too.

God is patient with us.  With all of us.  And really, we like it that way.

If I stop and think about it, I really don't want to Him to give people what they deserve right away, because I don't want Him to give me what I deserve right away either.

He promises that there will come a time.  The evil will get exactly what they deserve, and if it weren't for Jesus' sacrifice for me, I would get it, too.

But for now, I can trust His timing...and be thankful that I don't have green hair today.


Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 3:14 (Truth #4--Trust)

¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

In Ecclesiastes 3, we have seen first hand some very crucial truths:

Point #1 -- God is wise and His plan is wise.
Point #3 -- His plan is also mysterious.
Point #3 -- Even still, enjoy what He has given us.
And now finally,
Point #4 -- Rest in the sovereignty of God.

God is forever and everything He does is forever.  It is complete and perfect.  Man cannot add anything to what He does or take anything away.  He is in complete control of the overall outcomes of life (though He does willingly give up some of that detailed control when He gives us free will).

Ultimately, He is in charge, even when we mess things up royally. Nothing phases Him or surprises Him.

His plan is unchangeably perfect.

And I must know this in my life.  I need to know that He is in charge and that His plan is good, because every day is not roses and sunshine all the time, is it?

I had a really rough day in the past week.  It appeared that all of my losses were being held up in my face in the course of about three hours -- I missed the people I've lost, I missed relationships that had ended, I wished things were "how they used to be" for a moment.

And then I came home and opened Ecclesiastes.

And I remembered what I've known for so long, but what I sometimes forget.  I was reminded that everything that is happening now or has happened or will happen has been decreed, and everything that is happening now is going according to plan.

God is perfect and all-knowing and I am not.  Though some events may not make complete sense now, God will take hold of what has passed by; He will insert that piece into the puzzle of my life and of all of His creation, and it will make sense.

I must trust Him and thank Him in everything.

The most evil injustice occurred 2,000 years ago.  A perfect man died on behalf of all the sinners.  He, of all people, didn't deserve any of it.  He was perfect, and what did He get for it?  Torture, Suffocation, Rejection, Betrayal, and Death.

Yet, God turned the most evil thing that has ever happened into the best thing that has ever happened. And today, we can celebrate because Jesus died in our place and took the punishment that we deserve.

I don't understand some of the things that happen in our lives, but Jesus does.  And if Jesus trusted His Father enough to endure the cross, then I can trust my Father as I endure my crosses.

In my pain, God isn't trying to produce cynicism, but a reverent fear and trust.

His mysterious plan shouldn't repel us; it should make us bow.


Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (Truth #3-Enjoy)

¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

The first truths we've come across in this section of scripture remind us that 1) God is wise and His plan is wise and 2) God's plan is mysterious to us.  Those are two major pieces of the puzzle -- they're big.  I look at those and see some "uphill climbing" in order to grasp and claim those promises.  It's simple to say those things, but it's not always easy believe them.

The next two are the "downhill" promises -- the ones that, I hope, are a little easier and will allow us to take a break and sink into the first two.  But, today's verses are quickly becoming some of my favorite verses in the Bible!

^"I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.  That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God."

Truth #3 -- Enjoy your life.

Solomon reminds us that even in the midst of circumstances that we may not understand, we cannot let what we cannot fully know about God's plan destroy what we can enjoy! (You may have to read that again.  I did.)  Yes, we cannot be God and we cannot control our circumstances.  There is nothing we can do about it.  So, Solomon in his Godly wisdom, says don't let that negate your present enjoyment of life.

We have a choice: to be miserable or to be happy.  And it is so reassuring to me when I remember who my God is.  He is not up there saying, "I gotcha!" in the midst of our circumstances or consequences.  He is LOVE, remember?  And with that love comes a desire to give gifts to His children that will make them smile.

Really, a verse that is changing the way I live is 1 Timothy 6:17 which ends by reminding us that we should, "... put [our] hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."

This is a theme throughout Scripture!  God says, "Don't be too uptight and serious!  Have some fun, you people!  I made work, but I also made play and fun and laughter and rest.  I don't want you to miss out on the full experience of your life, including the fun stuff.  When you enjoy those gifts, I smile with you!"

Look!  Verse 13 says, "That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their work—this is the gift of God."  Is that not just the best?  God wants us to ENJOY -- enjoy good food, enjoy good drink, enjoy the things you do throughout the day.  Soak it up and enjoy it.

One theme of Ecclesiastes is seasons.  There will be a season when you're sad, but if that season is not now, enjoy it.  There will be a time that you die, but today you're alive, so enjoy it.  Today, while everything's okay, delight in it.  If you have some unused candles in your house -- light them!  If you have a gift card that's been traveling along with you in your purse for over a year -- go spend it!  That friend you haven't talked to in six months, call them and get caught up; or heck, hop on a plane this weekend and go visit for a couple days!  Rent a movie tonight that you've been wanting to see and curl up on the couch with a blanket and some hot popcorn.  Go get a double dip of your favorite ice cream, sit down, and lick it really slowly, and just enjoy being.  The list is limitless!  But think of something you want to do, and do it, just for enjoyment's sake.  These moments and pleasure, delight, laughter, and flavor -- they are all gifts to you from your Heavenly Father who smiles as you smile.

Two of my dearest friends are Dick and Shirley.  They are in their seventies.  Dick has a degenerative brain condition, and one day according to doctors, he will be in a wheelchair and his physical abilities will continue to decline.  Knowing that that's coming, I would be tempted to live in fear and dread of the future.  But not Dick and Shirley!  They are always being with people and often times that means they're out of the house.  So, if you call and they're not home, you'll get their answering machine and it will say, "...I'm sorry we're not home right now.  We're out celebrating life!  Please leave your..."

Celebrating life!  Despite what may or may not come sooner or later, they refuse to let a diagnosis and the "what ifs" of the future stop them TODAY.  They are absolutely delightful, joyful people.
I want to be like them.  I want to celebrate life no matter what!

One of the greatest things I started when I was in high school was my "List of Things I Love."  It was just a list I kept on my computer of all the little things that bring be delight.  I had lost that list for the past few years after our move, but I found it again recently and giggled as I read what used to "delight me" when I was nineteen years old: patterned socks, Barnum's animal crackers in the box with a string, picking up developed photos, and being in a bathing suit and shorts (among literally hundreds of other things).

Now, I don't really care to walk around in a bathing suit as much as I used to, and I don't think you can even drop off film to be developed anymore -- can you?

Another thing on that list: long walks with Mom.

Times change.  Seasons change.  But no matter where we are, God wants us to delight in it now and to cherish it later.

Christ-followers are not expected to miss out on all the fun.  In fact, they have more reason to have fun because they know from Whom all these good gifts come!  It is a lie the Enemy tells that we should not enjoy what God has given us.  He wants to rob us of our joy -- refuse him.  God says, "Enjoy it to the full."

I urge us, as another way to honor God, enjoy what He has given.  Soak it up.  Have fun.  Make a list of the "Things You Love" and add to it over the various seasons of your life...you will then suddenly find yourself on the path to joy and gratitude.  It's a fantastic place to be!

So...what kinds of FUN are YOU going to ENJOY this weekend??


Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 (Truth #2-Mysterious Plan)

¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. ¹¹ Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

We have many "why" questions, don't we?  

Just this morning I read in the paper where a boy I went to elementary and middle school with, who lived in a rough home, who was always a bit overweight, who had no friends and was consistently bullied, ended up becoming an abuser and just offered money to a co-worker to kill his wife for him.  This boy, who is now a man, is currently in jail with a $1 million bond.

Why, God?  He didn't get to pick his home life.  He didn't get to choose whether he wanted to fit in or not.  He was just a little boy last time I saw him.  Why?

...and that's just the why question that came to my mind first this morning.  There are many personal ones that I've shared with you, too, of deaths to soon, changes in relationships, and people I love who hurt deeply.  Why?

He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

The thing is, deep in our hearts, we know that there is more than meets the eye in this life.  We know that what we see before us is here for an instant and then gone, like a vapor.  We can sense our own unsettledness. But God doesn't enable us to always "get it."

God's plan is wise, but it is also mysterious.

He has made it so that we cannot see everything He is doing, and we don't see the big picture -- only He does.  But even still His mysterious plan is meant to sound like a symphony, a mysterious and beautiful intermingling of the black keys and white keys in our lives.

Yet, even when we recognize God's work in our lives, we still try to squint our eyes and figure out all the little details of the whys and the things we can't see.  I know God has a plan for my life, but I still want to know why I was born this way or why my parent treated me this way, or why I am missing out on a blessing I see befalling someone else.

So we keep squinting, but we still can't see it.

As one author said, "There is a deep-seated, compulsive drive to transcend our mortality by knowing the meaning and destiny of life."

Sometimes I do wonder what exactly we humans, scientists and doctors, professors and philosophers, are doing exactly.  Why do we even think that we could find out the meaning and destiny of life?  Like a dandelion trying to figure out how to drive a car are we when we try to understand the ornate, supreme plans of God and the complete meaning and destiny of our life.  Doesn't that sound like a question that really only God Himself could answer? 

And He does somewhat -- throughout the narratives, poetry, and expository literature of the Bible.  We see an over-arching plan and a story that has been going on for centuries -- God's story.  But trust me, I've looked, there is not a book in the Bible titled This is the Meaning and Destiny of Your Life.  There are truths, principles, promises, and a whole lot of love, but not a Cliff notes version of the destiny of each specific life.  There are many answers to questions within the pages of Scripture, but there are some specific questions involving our lives that are left unanswered.

Sometimes there is just plain evil in the world.  Other times, we pray for something and God doesn't answer it the way we want, or maybe even seem to answer us at all...

We don't get to know all the answers.  There is some mystery there, for which I think God has a great purpose.  He allows things in our lives that are not always pleasing and pleasurable, but they are wise.

And because of that, we must choose to trust Him.

What is a why question you have today?  Are you able to give it to Him and trust Him with His wise plan?

Molly Monroe

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (Truth #1-The Black Keys)

How do you live in a world that is out of control?

How do we live with a God who doesn't always make sense, work on our timelines, or "behave" the way we want Him to?

Over the next four days, we will look at four "truths" on which to stand when it appears that life is falling apart.  The Bible is full of promises that can keep us looking to Him, even in the midst of pain and brokenness.

In the last post, we read the poetry in the Bible that starts with "For everything, there is a season..."  We see that there is life, but there is also death.  There is gain, but there is also loss.  There is laughter, but some days, there are also many, many tears.

"He has made everything appropriate in its time.  He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from beginning to end."

We were made for more than this.  We were made for a life of joy, peace, and laughter, and even in the brokenness around us, we sense that there must be something more...eternity is waiting.  And someday, those of us who have decided to follow Jesus will understand...when Jesus wipes every tear from our eyes.

But what about now?  What about until that day?

He has made everything appropriate in its time.  I like that reminder.

There are no coincidences.

Or as other translations say, God has made everything beautiful in its time.  Everything.

We may not understand what He's doing -- and there will be many, many times we will not understand what He is doing behind the scenes -- but what this verse reminds me is that nothing is happenstance with God Almighty because above all:



He is wise, and even bad things have a purpose.  



He makes everything beautiful in its time.  When an appointed "bad" thing occurs, it may not seem to have any purpose whatsoever, but God sees it from a different perspective.

I absolutely love this story from a pastor in Texas:

"I was teaching in our church and had asked Norma, a wonderful pianist, if she would play for the congregation. I asked her to play "Jesus Love Me" using only the simple white keys.  When she played, it had a very simple sound.  Frankly, it wasn't interesting.

Next I asked her to play it using as many black keys as she wanted.  If you've ever played a piano, you know that by themselves the black keys don't sound very good. That's where all the sharps and flats are.  But when Norma played "Jesus Love Me" and included the black keys, it created a lush, beautiful sound.  I asked my congregation to vote on whether they liked it with the white keys only or with the black keys added in. Without a doubt, the song sounds better with the black keys.

Life is just like a song played on the piano.  It is a caricature without the black keys.  It's not heroic without sin, evil, and pain. You don't know how to appreciate the heroism, love, and patience of God until evil enters the world.

The parts of our lives that don't feel right at the time are woven together by God to form a beautiful tapestry.  God's plan is wise--its just that He doesn't ask you and me for our opinions. There is no suggestion box in the tabernacle. We have to just trust Him."

We don't understand much.  We don't know where the corners of the universe are, or how to make it rain in a desert, or the number of grains of sand on a beach, or how to send a lightning bolt on its way.  God does.

God knows far more than you and I will ever know, and His plans are greater than you or I can even imagine.

Believing that God is wise is the only thing that will sustain you when He plays your life on the black keys.  And when He does, keep looking to Him and trusting Him...there is some real beauty in the making.  Just hold on.