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Words can be a gateway…. (devo reflection)

Ecc 6:11 The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone? (NIV)
This verse talks about the futility of arguing, continuing to throw words at a situation. I am reminded at once of the futility of social media, where armchair philosophers throw words into cyberspace, often with the sole goal of stirring the pot. Definite futility.
Ecc 6:11 The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they? (NLT)
However, I am also reminded of calls for assistance on social media, calls for prayer, posts that galvanize people to positive action, and I am reminded of James 2:17, “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” Words can be a gateway to beautiful, affirming action and can be very good indeed.
Ecc 6:11 For when there are many words, they increase futility. What is the advantage for mankind? (CSB)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that I need to be careful with my words, that I need to use them for good, to praise You and to edify others. Help me to use my words to shine Your light. Draw me closer. Amen.
Ecc 6:11 The longer you argue, the more useless it is, and you are no better off. (GNT)
Have a blessed day.
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Rooted in my identity in Christ…. (devo reflection)

Ecc 5:15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands. (NIV)
I’ve mentioned that reading Ecclesiastes is hard for me because of the hopeless overtone used to drive home the point that everything is meaningless unless God is in the midst of us. I agree completely with the sentiment, but I wish God were underscored earlier and more often in this book.
Ecc 5:15 We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us. (NLT)
This verse, however, reminds me of the need for balance in life, of the fact that life isn’t just about work. I focused so completely on my job at one point that I let it consume my identity. I saw myself as a teacher first and foremost. And while being a teacher is a crucial piece of who I am, first and foremost, I am a deeply, fiercely loved child of God. Period. Everything else is rooted in my identity in Christ.
Ecc 5:15 We leave this world just as we entered it–with nothing. In spite of all our work there is nothing we can take with us. (GNT)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Reading through Ecclesiastes is difficult because of the sorrowful undertone, but life without You is definitely sorrowful. Thank You for the hope that can only come from You. Help me to draw closer to You and to shine Your light. Always. Amen.
Ecc 5:15 They came from their mother’s womb naked. They will leave as naked as they came. They won’t even be able to take a handful of their earnings with them from all their hard work. (GWT)
Have a blessed day.
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We are better together…. (devo reflection)

Ecc 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor….
This section of Ecclesiastes is often used in wedding ceremonies, but commentary talks about how it underscores the importance of relationships, of community in general.
Ecc 4:10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
We are better together. God created us to be in relationship with others, to coexist within community. I have seen this to be the case over the course of the pandemic. As much as I joke that I don’t like people (that’s the hard-core introvert in me), I absolutely need *my* people, my community, in my life. No man is an island after all.
Ecc 4:11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for creating us with a need for community. Help us to reach out to others with Your love and in Your name. Help us never forget that we truly are better together. Amen.
Ecc 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Have a blessed day.
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Seasons of life…. (devo reflection)

Ecc 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens….
I have always looked at this particular section and seen the beauty and poetry in the language. Commentary, however, points out the repetition and monotony inherent in the parallel structure of “a time to….” and posits how this crushing monotony reinforces the idea that life is utterly meaningless when not connected to a higher purpose.
Ecc 3:2 …a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot….
I don’t do well with the hopeless undertones of this book. And my life is firmly rooted in the meaning of my Savior (Thank You, Jesus!), so when I look at this section, I am reminded more of the seasons of life than its meaninglessness. Some seasons are easier and happier than others, but each will ebb and flow into the next in God’s time.
Ecc 3:3 …a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for giving my life eternal purpose and meaning. Thank You for the seasons of life, each ebbing and flowing into the next. Help me to see Your presence everywhere and to shine Your light for all. Amen.
Ecc 3:4 …a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance….
Have a blessed day.
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Light and hope…. (devo reflection)

Ecc 2:20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 
I watched a video overview of Ecclesiastes before beginning this book, and I am so thankful that I did.  To read this book on its on is hard. Every single chapter is depressing. Everything is meaningless and pointless. But God….
Ecc 2:21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 
Life, as evidenced in Ecclesiastes, is the same. Without the hope of God, without the presence of God, without the meaning of God, life is pretty pointless. We all know we aren’t getting out of here alive and we can’t take a single thing with us. But God….
Ecc 2:22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 
Lord, Thank You for this scripture and this day. Thank You for the knowledge that You are my center and my purpose. As I go through this life, draw me closer to You. Help me to shine Your Light and share Your hope, knowing that is what gives my life purpose. Amen.
Ecc 2:23 All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.
Have a blessed day.
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The core of my identity…. (devo reflection)

Ecc 1:2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
Not that long ago, I waded through a bit of an existential crisis. In less than five years, my boys will be in college and I will be able to retire. But I have defined myself as a mother and a teacher for so long, the idea of not having those roles first and foremost as my driving force filled me with panic. If I am not a mother and a teacher, who am I?
Ecc 1:3 What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?
It was a huge, painful, necessary wake up call, and a journey I’m still on—discovering my purpose. But the crux of my crisis is the central idea of Ecclesiastes: Without God at my center, nothing in my life has meaning or worth. With Him as my core, everything has the ability to draw me closer to Him.
Ecc 1:4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that I am Your deeply loved child—first, foremost, always. My meaning comes from You. My purpose is found in You. Thank You for the roles You allow me to fulfill—wife, mother, friend, teacher, etc. Help me never to lose sight of the fact that being Your beloved is the core of my identity. Draw me closer. Amen.
Ecc 1:5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.
Have a blessed day.
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Strength and dignity…. (devo reflection)

Proverbs 31:25 She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. (NLT)
This verse always makes me think of my dear friend Millie, who battled cancer at the end of her life. I painted a version of this scripture for her in the hopes that the visual reminder might help her cling to this truth during her treatment.
Proverbs 31:25 Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; And she smiles at the future [knowing that she and her family are prepared]. (AB)
I love looking at the Amplified Bible translation because the verses are often oddly specific in their wording. But the implied idea that we can “laugh at the future,” that we can be confident no matter what life throws at us, that that confidence is born of the sure knowledge of Who holds our future, that is an idea that I can fully get behind.
Proverbs 31:25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. (NASB)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this  scripture. Thank You for the knowledge that You hold my future and that because of that fact, I can face my future unafraid. You know my tendency is fear, Lord, but I do not want to be afraid. Help me. Draw me closer. Amen.
Proverbs 31:25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. (NIV)
Have a blessed day.
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My daily portion…. (devo reflection)

Proverbs 30:7 “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die.
I joke that God made me a worrier so that I would never forget how much I need Him every single day. Honestly, I have embraced that attitude—that my propensity for worry helps me lean into God because I absolutely know I cannot do this life alone.
Proverbs 30:8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
These verses remind me of that idea. The speaker asks for enough—not too much that he forgets his need of God nor too little so that he feels forced to dishonor God to satisfy human need. “[G]ive me only my daily bread.”
Proverbs 30:9a Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for my daily portion, for the fact that I know You will provide exactly what I need each day. Help me to lean into You, to rest in You, to trust You, to shine Your light, knowing that my daily portion comes from You. Draw me closer. Amen.
Proverbs 30:9b …Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Have a blessed day.
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Listening to hear…. (devo reflection)

Proverbs 29:20 There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking. (NLT)
There is a passage about listening that I often share with students. It says, essentially, that most people don’t listen to hear, they listen to respond. Take a moment and read that again. Let it sink in.
Proverbs 29:20 Do you see a [conceited] man who speaks quickly [offering his opinions or answering without thinking]? There is more hope for a [thickheaded] fool than for him. (AB)
If we are listening to respond, we are already formulating answers while the speaker is still speaking. If we listen to hear, then we are listening to what’s said and what’s not said, the implications, the tone. If we are listening to hear, responding isn’t even necessary.
Proverbs 29:20 There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking. (CEV)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that I need to listen to hear and not just to respond. Help me to be a beacon of hope, shining Your light for all. Draw me closer. Amen.
Proverbs 29:20 Have you met a person who is quick to answer? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (GWT)
Have a blessed day.
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This verse is not about me…. (devo reflection)

Proverbs 28:25 Selfish people cause trouble, but you will live a full life if you trust the LORD. (CEV)
Selfish, greedy, proud, arrogant, covetous, and unbelieving are all adjectives used in various translations of this verse. And it is so easy for me to dismiss these adjectives when it comes to myself—No, no. I’m none of these things. This verse is not about me.
Proverbs 28:25 The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the LORD will prosper. (NIV)
But when I really, honestly look at my actions—those times when I get so angry at the way I was treated or the way people acted or the lack of common sense, when my hackles get up and I start yelling and fuming, then I’m the one stirring up conflict, I am that person. Jesus, Help me.
Proverbs 28:25 Greed causes fighting; trusting the LORD leads to prosperity. (NLT)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for bringing this matter to my attention. I don’t want to be the selfish, greedy, proud, arrogant, covetous, unbelieving person who stirs up trouble in this life. I want to trust in You. I want to be filled with Your peace, which passes all understanding. Help me, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.
Proverbs 28:25 A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched. (ESV)
Have a blessed day.