By Not Known
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, [a] where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” (Eccles 9:10)
Most of us can readily divide our lives into various aspects such as employment, hobbies, close family, wider family, friends, studies, Christian growth and service and such like.
What are we doing in those different aspects? Many of us are more purposeful and passionate in some aspects than others. In particular, we tend to be more purposeful and passionate about employment, hobbies and studies than other things. They get our best time, best energy and also the attention of our minds. How’s your golf game?
What about the rest of life? We may take other things for granted with a casual ‘whatever‘.
Perhaps we assume that God will always be there for us and that it’s okay if we don’t give him too much attention. Oh, and maybe we think that our deeds of Christian service are all favours for God anyway and it doesn’t matter if we are ill-prepared, running late and half-hearted.
Do we do the same with family? It’s easy to take them for granted, for they are always there and tied to us by blood links or legal vows.
All this is very odd. Our relationship with family and God are far more enduring and important than employment, studies and hobbies. Jesus tells us that seeking God’s kingdom should be the number one priority and that if we attend to it first, everything else will fall in place (Mt 6: 33). But God’s kingdom is often way down our priorities.
By all means let’s enjoy our hobbies, work at our studies and give our employers good value. But let’s heed the wisdom of Ecclesiastes. If God gives us something worth doing in any aspect of life, let’s do it well. Let’s give full passion and energy to whatever we do.
Let’s put focused effort into family life rather than take it for granted and let it drift. And, Let’s especially continue to stretch and strain forward in our relationship with the Lord and our service of him (Phil. 4: 12- 14). This, most of all, deserves all our might.