When Life Gets Twisted – Living through the Uncertainties of Life – Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:7
August 2, 2020Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Speaker: Jerry Cisar
Morgan Lee, Miss Goth Massachusetts, when asked how she would describe Goth, responded: “It’s really a style and a way of thinking. Basically, you’re miserable all the time. We just see the darker side that other people tend to ignore.”
The Preacher in Ecclesiastes also sees the darker side of life, but his conclusion is quite different. Rather than telling us, “Life is pain and then you die—so you might as well embrace the misery,” he tells us, “Life will have plenty of pain, and you will die—so embrace the sweetness while you can!”
Why? Why should anyone embrace the sweetness of life while they can? Is it not merely an artificial sweetener? Does it even matter since I am going to end up dying anyway? The Preacher’s answer is something like, “Because there is a future: a future both on this side of eternity and on that.”
As believers, we hear much more about the one on the other side. But the Preacher is focused on the future that exists on this side of eternity. Simply put, the Preacher is telling us to rejoice in the sunshine with an eye on the approaching storm! This will help us invest rightly in both futures.