Category: Ecclesiastes

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.

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.

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.

Have a blessed day.

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.

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.

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.

Have a blessed day.

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….

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….

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.

Have a blessed day.

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?

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.

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.

Have a blessed day.