“Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.” – Ecclesiastes 3:13
In a portion of the Bible exploring the futility of so many of our grand plans, initiatives, and efforts, the Teacher here reminds us of the precious gift of appreciating the simple things in life. It’s easy to take eating, drinking, and working for granted or even to grumble about them. However, they are given to us by God as a gift to enjoy each day, if we’re willing to seek the joy in them.
This year has been a vivid reminder of the futility of many of our plans, efforts, and expectations. We’ve been reminded of many of the darker truths highlighted by the writer of Ecclesiastes – illness, injustice, death, inability to plan or control the future, the existence of many forces beyond our control. We’ve even been reminded that there is indeed a time to “refrain from embracing” (verse 5).
Rather than dwelling on the darkness, let us instead use this difficult time to renew our appreciation, pleasure, and thankfulness for God’s daily provision: food to eat, water to drink, and the joy of doing whatever work God has given us to do each day for His glory!