he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
"For whom am I toiling," he asked,
"and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?"
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!-Ecclesiastes 4:7-10
This verse today makes me think of the beautiful 'aloe' or soothing healing nature that others have in our lives. As you may know by now, I am quite stressed, not only with work and other random responsibilities that I impose upon myself, but with thinking about next year. It seems like every day now (and more often than not, several times a day), I am asked about what my plan is for next year. A planner myself, the majority of this pressure is probably self-generated. Be that as it may, it is still quite stressful. But, I have so many friends right beside me to soothe my anxious soul... Lise who changes the uncomfortable subject, V who sympathizes with the difficulty in decision making, my family who assures me that all my options are good ones and Brad who reminds me that I don't need to know today.
But he, unintentionally, makes it more difficult by being so wonderful. I know so well what this first verse speaks of... if I go away to a job, the job is more important. But then, "For whom am I toiling?" No, I know that I will stay here somehow, no matter what ends up happening. Still, it is awfully hard. It's hard to stay somewhere for someone, because then the secret's out... you're the one that loves more. And the one that loves more has more to lose. And it's scary, but that's why I'm so thankful for these friendships that soothe my soul.
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few. -Ecclesiastes 5:2
This verse spoke to me this morning. I have been praying so much lately for everyone and everything, but this morning on my run I just had no words to say. I didn't know how to put anything anymore. So I just said, "I give it to You, Lord." It's true. We spend so much time praying for an answer and so little time listening for an answer. Lord, I open myself to You, soothed that peace may be the first step to the peace that You give to my soul.
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. -2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Several of my students chose to write their essays on Obama's acceptance speech. In this speech, he talks about how 8 years (of Bush) is enough. He states, "We must say, 'Enough.'" In quite a different way, this verse makes me think, "We must say, 'Enough.'" Christ's grace is enough. When everything seems to be spinning out of control, when worries abound, when sadness seems to close in on us, when people call us crazy, we must say, 'Enough.' I myself am not enough, but Christ is enough. Lord, I praise You for the grace that soothes my ever-troubled heart... the grace that covers all my sins and strengthens me in the difficult times, the power that makes me able to do Your will. I worship You Lord, provider of the amazing grace that is 'enough' for all of us.
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