Ecclesiastes 2:17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun
was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
There was a time when I hated my
life so much that I just wanted to end it all. Happily, three friends rescued
me and I have enjoyed a lot of the last forty years since that dark time. This
doesn’t mean that I’m not subject to anxious, troublesome, or depressing
moments; like most human beings, I have my up and down times. However, even in
a bad year like 2015, I have experienced some sweet and successful moments. The
good does outweigh the bad; my joy for life overcomes the pain I have experienced.
I get the feeling that the writer of
Ecclesiastes must have been given practically everything to him on a silver
plate. I don’t think he ever knew what hunger, poverty, trouble or pain really
were. His observations come across as someone who has too much time on his
hands, who never really worked for a living, or who was largely unaware of the struggles
that most folks endure. He is like a rich monarch or a pampered celebrity; he
fusses a lot when things don’t go his own way. He berates Life because it hasn’t
lived up to his expectations.
I contrast this with the coming of
Christ into the world. He has all the privileges, power, and riches of Heaven,
and yet He ends up being born to working class parents, in a borrowed barn,
lying in a feeding trough. If Jesus had been like the writer of Ecclesiastes,
He would have come to Earth on a golden chariot, accompanied by thousands of
angels, displaying all of God’s mightiness, power, and sovereignty.
But Jesus became like us to identify
with our struggle, our grasp of reality, as well as our share of pain, toil,
and trouble. And because He did this, Christ not only completely understands
our hardships, setbacks, and problems, He also wants to rescue us from them for
all of eternity.
So today, let’s embrace this thought:
Life isn’t meaningless with Christ – He has a purpose – all we have to do is to
accept that we are part of His wonderful plan.
Questions for personal reflection
As I look back
over 2015, what problems, struggles, and troubles did I experience? How did Jesus
help me to endure, overcome, and learn from them? What do I hope He will help accomplish
in 2016?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You walk with us each
day and share our struggles and storms. Be near to us at the end of this year,
and go before us into 2016. Help us to turn to You constantly for guidance and
encouragement, strength and love. In Your Holy Name, we walk and pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian
Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to respond to today’s
message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s 2015 nativity drawings. It’s called “Mama’s Boy.” If you
would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Boy.
