A Moment With GodНамуна

BEWARE THE BARRENNESS OF A BUSY LIFE

We are so busy that we do not have the time to recollect the reason for our busyness. Some of us are so busy that if we slow down our pace, we become fidgety, irritable and make others' lives miserable. Some keep themselves busy. Some say they have no time for themselves. We think that a busy life equals a productive life.

A wise man had extraordinary wisdom; he made insightful decisions that attracted all the kings of the earth to his courts. He composed songs and proverbs. His wisdom surpassed the wisdom of people of the East.

When a person talks from his experience, it is always good for us to listen because we will not spend the rest of our lives doing the same mistake to prove what he said is right. Yet, we are defiant, stubborn, and indifferent. When the writer says: Everything is vanity, he is not talking about meaninglessness; he is talking about lacking real substance or significance in what we are doing.

What do we gain by toiling all day under the sun? The generation comes and goes, the sun rises and the sun goes down, the earth remains, the wind goes round and round. There is so much of monotony, the same thing each day. There is a weariness, a tiredness. We toil so heavily and at the end of the day, it is the same thing. No meaning and no significance. We want, newness, creativity and change. There is dissatisfaction because we are human. There is discontentment.

No matter how much we toil there are certain things that are unchangeable. What is crooked cannot be made straight and what is lacking cannot be counted. The preacher is not suggesting that we live a mediocre life; all that he says is that our days should have activities that have significance and substance.

Have we missed out on eternity by focussing on vanity? Have we missed out on life's most valuable things like time for ourselves, for our family and friends? Do we get to do what we enjoy doing? Do we keep busy to escape from loneliness or to tell everyone we are busy? Is there an emptiness?

How can we get the best in what we do today? What is our motive? Is there life? Or are we weary, empty and dry?

The best way to have meaning in what we do is to include Christ in our planning. Do we know Jesus personally? Does our agenda fit into the overall kingdom agenda that God has for the nation, for the world?

Let us beware the barrenness of a busy life. Let us have time to do things pleasing to God, let us not pack our twenty four hours with activity. Sometimes, it is good to sit back in silence to do what God wants us to do, at work or at home. Let there be substance and significance. May the Lord add meaning to our work today.

It is not life under the sun that matters, but life with the Son.