Let's get on with life!

Solomon’s cynicism makes me laugh and cringe at the same time.  An old man, disappointed with life in spite of vast accomplishments, he muses about the unfairness of it all.  “Wicked men find admiration, righteous ones are forgotten.  How does that make any sense?” he complains.  This passage spoke to me today. "Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well." (Ecclesiastes 11:4-6, NIV)

In short, the Teacher says, “Let’s get on with it. Endless analysis will stop progress. Nobody can anticipate all the problems that could arise.”  We are quick to claim that some success resulted from our great foresight and equally likely to pass failure off to another.  Life is an interconnected web, no one’s success or failure belonging exclusively to him. Who I am, what I have done, has been influenced by people known and unknown in numbers beyond counting.  And, then there is the work of the Spirit of God, His influence always there, but not always discerned.

So, is life just one big roll of the dice? That is how some read Ecclesiastes. They see only Solomon’s bitter railing about the  unfairness of it all.  A more careful reading reveals his insistence on doing what is right, on remaining true to the highest and best, on choosing to enjoy the blessings of God today; rather than living in what may prove to be a vain hope for tomorrow.  Though he cannot always understand why things are happening as they are or what God is doing in the moment, Solomon reminds us that God is just and will hold us all accountable for the way we live. So, keeping one eye on eternity’s evaluation, we live in this moment doing what He directs.  As Christians we know that our life comes from the Spirit and we are reminded "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25, NIV)

Here’s the word from the Word.  It’s a practical call to get on with life, right here, right now- for God’s glory. "Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment." (Ecclesiastes 11:9, NIV)  "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them.” (Ecclesiastes 12:1, NIV)  "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, NIV)