Sunday, October 31, 2010

Be Happy

“I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil — this is the gift of God.“ Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 NIV

Christianity is a joyful way of life. People who have not studied the Bible, do not seem to get this concept. God wants us to be happy—to experience joy. But notice what it says next in the above scripture. We are to do good and find satisfaction in our work. Since the concepts of work and happiness are so closely tied together in this passage, one has to assume they go together. God did not make us to sit back and be served by others. He did not plan for us to retire to our easy chair or to pursue a life of personal pleasure. We are to roll up our sleeves and get busy working. It is God’s gift to us to enjoy our efforts earning a living and serving others.

I no longer have a paid career. But I have work nevertheless. I am maintaining my home and caring for my mother-in-law. The care of my mother-in-law is quite confining and at times very labor intensive. But I am not finding her care a burden. God has given me this task, and he is giving me joy as I perform it. I do not understand how God does it, but he can make even the most onerous tasks palatable if they are tasks he has assigned.

So no matter the desirability of the work, if God has given it to you, take joy in it.

Lord, thank you for giving me productive work and for the joy of knowing I am performing it well.

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