More isn’t always better. The early verses of Ecclesiastes 2 develops this fact…
4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem [a] as well—the delights of the heart of man. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
Out of all the troubling thoughts that Ecclesiastes puts out, these are some of the toughest for me to digest. I genuinely like the stuff I have. I like my house, my wife, my kids, my car, my yard, my books, my art supplies, and on and on I could go. My initial observation is to think that more of all this would be even better.
I think Solomon enjoyed his stuff too. He says, “My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.” I suppose the intended meaning of the text isn’t to stop enjoying what you have, but rather to stop the relentless pursuit of more. It appears the pursuit of more kept Solomon from enjoying what he had.
Enjoy what you have. If you have a good house, don’t look for a bigger one. If you have a good job, don’t look for a better one. If you have a great spouse, don’t look for a younger one. In short, if you have a good life, be happy with it. More might be out there, but seeking more might cause you to diminish what you already have.
1 response so far ↓
Chris Aldrich // October 1, 2009 at 9:13 am |
There’s a lot to be said for being satisfied with what God has blessed you with. That’s one reason I don’t like watching commercials. They are all about making you unsatisfied and causing you to think you need more. I remember a sermon (by Brian R) a number of years back where he suggested that people throw out the circulars from their newspapers without looking at them as they will just cause you to think you need more stuff.
There’s nothing wrong with having a bigger house, but you will pay higher taxes and spend more time taking care of it. There’s nothing evil about buying a new car, but shouldn’t I be satisfied with my car if it gets me from point A to point B without breaking down? The list goes on and on. How much stuff do I really need to enjoy my life and live it the way God wants me to?