Enjoy the good days; value the bad ones
by Pastor Peter Bean
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When life is good, enjoy it. But when life is hard, remember: God gives good times and hard times, and no-one knows what tomorrow will bring (Ecclesiastes 7:14).
The Message version of Ecclesiastes 7:14 says this: ‘On a good day, enjoy yourself; on a bad day, examine your conscience. God arranges for both kinds of days so that we won’t take anything for granted’.
One person’s good day is another person’s fantastic day! One person’s hard time is another person’s tragedy. In one sense, it is like the half-full/half-empty cup dilemma. No matter what you think you have, the cup holds half liquid and half air. No matter what you think of your life, you have your life!
And, according to The Message translation: God arranges for both times. What do we make of this? What sort of God is revealed here? Perhaps we need to consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:45, ‘God makes the sun rise on the bad and on the good and causes rain to fall on the just and unjust’. The point is God practises universal, non-violent love. Through Jesus, grace, love and life are offered to all. The good and bad, the just and unjust, those who look for it and those who don’t.
I don’t know where you sit along these continuums. I do know that Jesus says, ‘Come to me, all who are thirsty’. And each one of us is thirsty at times. Different times, different situations, different responses. God’s offer, through Jesus, still stands.
And for those of us who respond to that grace, love and life, we receive blessings. And we are called to offer similar grace, love and life to others. No matter our situation, we are blessed to be a blessing.
Thank you, Lord, for the variety of life experiences we have. Help us to hold onto your grace and love, no matter our situation. When we are able, encourage us in our endeavours to be a blessing to others. Amen.
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