How to Enjoy Your Crazy Life

Ecclesiastes3:1-15

My grandfather’sworkbench, in the cellar of his house, was a mess – at least from my childish perspective.As a kid looking up at the jumbled assortment of tools, aerosol cans, plasticjars, wood scraps, and spare parts scattered across that corner of the basement,I wondered to myself, “How can grandpa find anything down here?”

From my grandpa’s perspective though, everything was in its place. The screwdriver was sitting on the right-hand side of the bench, right where he left it. The peanut-butter jar half-filled with wingnuts sat on the top middle shelf, beside the pile of spare light switches, and the half-used WD-40 spray can was in the Reebok shoe box, ready for use.

As we sort through the craziness of our lives in this fallen world, God is also at work accomplishing perfect and everlasting things.

My grandfather’s workbench reminds me of the way we feel about life sometimes. We get the mistaken idea that it’s all messed up, unpredictable, and out of control. Though this is kind of true (thanks to sin), there is a far greater reality at work. As we sort through the craziness of our lives in this fallen world, God is also at work accomplishing perfect and everlasting things. From this vantage point, we realize that everything has its place.

The Extremes ofLife

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 teaches us that everything has its time. This does not mean that everything that happens is good, but rather that everything that happens – whether good or bad – fits together perfectly like a comprehensive puzzle that includes all things, the dark pieces and the colorful ones alike (Eccl 3:1).

• Thereis a time for life to begin and a time for life to end (Eccl 3:2). This factextends from human life to plant life, as the autumn season reminds us when theleaves fall from the trees.
• Thereis a time to destroy and time to restore (Eccl 3:3). Once again, this factextends from human life (contrasting warfare and violence with physicalhealing) to lifeless matter, (contrasting demolition with construction).
• Thereis a time for sadness and grief and a time for laughter and celebration (Eccl3:4).
• Thereis a time to let go and a time to hold on (Eccl 3:5). This applies to materialthings (like getting rid of rocks or gathering them), and it also applies topersonal relationships. (Embracing may refer to general affection in humanrelationships, and it may also refer to intimacy and intercourse.) Sometimes wechoose when these events happen, but other times we have no choice – they happento us (Eccl 3:6).
• Thereis a time to express yourself and there is a time to be quiet (Eccl 3:7). Tearingand sewing likely refers to the dramatic custom of ripping yourclothes to express personal grief, while sewing refers to the methodic, mundanetask of stitching clothes together. This contrast also applies directly to ourwords.
• Thereis a time for close friendship and there is a time for strong opposition (Eccl3:8). This applies to personal relationships and individual feelings, but italso applies to social scenarios and national events on a larger scale.

The EternalPerspective

How shouldpeople respond to the extremes of life?

Pay Attentionto God

Mostimportantly, we should turn our attention to God (Eccl 3:10, 11, 13, 14, 15).He alone is great, majestic, and mighty. Without him, life is meaningless, butthanks to him, everything serves an ultimate, meaningful purpose. Thanks tohim, everything that happens is beautiful (or “appropriate”) in its time (Eccl3:11).

It’s like watchinga professional football game. On the field, it looks like a jumbled mess of menjust pushing and tackling each other for no reason, but it’s not that way. Coacheson the sidelines are drawing up sophisticated, well-planned plays, while wealthyowners in the executive suites are overlooking the field, financing the wholeoperation with calculated skill.

Stop Trying toFigure Everything Out

“No one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” (Eccl 3:11). Paul says a similar thing, when he concluded, “How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out!” (Rom 11:33). Therefore, it is a waste of your time to make sense of everything that you face and of everything that goes on in the world.

Things happen. God knows and has everything under control. That’s the way it is. Accept it.

“Why does shesuffer, while the other lady is healed?” “Why is he sick, but the other man ishealthy?” “Why is there so much poverty in this country while this othercountry is so rich?” “Why is their war over there and peace over here?” “Why dotheir lives seem so easy, but our lives seem so hard?” Questions like thesereveal a diminished view of the sovereignty of God. Things happen. God knowsand has everything under control. That’s the way it is. Accept it.

Do Good Thingsand Have a Good Time

There is abetter way to navigate the pendulum swings of life. Rather than trying tofigure everything out, do good things and have a good time. “I know thatnothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, andalso that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—itis the gift of God” (Eccl 3:12-13).

In the New Testament (NT), Paul urged Timothy to teach the church a similar perspective. “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Tim 6:17-19).

Enjoying the fruits of your labor is a godly approach, not a godless one. Why? Because it recognizes that God himself gave you your income and material resources for this purpose.

Enjoying the fruits of your labor is a godly approach, not a godless one.

When you enjoy God’s blessings as a gift from him (as my father enjoys his Ford Mustang!), you fulfill what he intended, not for your own selfish pleasure, but for his divine pleasure; not hoping to find satisfaction in these things (for they themselves are empty), but finding full satisfaction in the God who gave them for your enjoyment. Whatever he does, he does so that you will fear him and acknowledge him (Eccl 3:14).

At the sametime, you should also devote yourself to doing good with your energy andresources, too. This is also why God gives you the ability to work and acquirethings, so that you will reflect his giving nature and be a channel of blessingto others on his behalf.

Life takes on new meaning when you embrace this two-fold reality. It is most appropriate to enjoy the experiences and resources God gives you, with no regrets, while also being a channel of blessing and goodness to others.

When you enjoy God’s gifts, don’t do so hesitantly – enjoy them with all of your heart. And when you pass along God’s gifts to others, don’t do this hesitantly either.

When you enjoyGod’s gifts, don’t do so hesitantly – enjoy them with all of your heart. Andwhen you pass along God’s gifts to others, don’t do this hesitantly either. Dogood with all of your heart. “Do good” in your life and “enjoy the good” thatcomes your way as a result. It’s all God’s gift to you in his perfect time andaccording to his perfect plan. Just enjoy being a part of it, challenges and all.

Keep the Big Picturein Mind

Though we can’tfigure everything out, we all know innately that there is life beyond the grave– that we are a part of a much longer, grander story than the events of oureveryday lives (Eccl 3:11). What’s more, God’s purposes in all that occurs willsurely be accomplished and last forever (Eccl 3:12).

The patterns, cycles, and trends of life in this world occur repeatedly throughout history, from the beginning until now. No one can alter God’s purposes. “Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it (Eccl 3:14). Furthermore, no one can alter the fundamental principles of earthly existence. “That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been” (Eccl 3:15).

God does not expect us to alter the course of history, answer unsolvable questions, or find our satisfaction here below.

God does not expectus to alter the course of history, answer unsolvable questions, or find oursatisfaction here below. Instead, he expects us to respond to everything thathappens in a God-focused way.

Trust him implicitly and unswervingly through all the pendulum extremes of life that come your way. Work hard and do good things so long as God enables you to do so and enjoy the good that comes your way as a result, without guilt or hesitation. Why? Because it is the gift of God both to enjoy good things from his hand and to be his hands for good to others. This approach will help you navigate your life in this messy world and fulfill God’s purpose for all that occurs.