Ecclesiastes 9:7-12: a reflection

7Go your way—eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. 8Let your garments be always white, and don’t let your head lack oil. 9Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity, for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun. 10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going. 11I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. 12For man also doesn’t know his time. As the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them.

The Preacher counsels us to receive the ordinary joys of life, food, drink, work, love, as gifts from God, and to do our work wholeheartedly, since our days are uncertain and pass. Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, he says; for God has already accepted your works. And: whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. The Preacher, mindful that life is short and uncertain, counsels not gloom but a grateful receiving of life's ordinary good gifts, eating, drinking, enjoying the work and the love God has given, as gifts from his hand; and, since our time is uncertain and we do not know what a day may bring, doing wholeheartedly whatever work is before us. This shows receiving the ordinary joys of life as God's gifts and doing our work wholeheartedly. Receive the ordinary joys of life, food, work, love, as gifts from God. Do your work wholeheartedly, for your days are uncertain and pass. Enjoy the good gifts of daily life with a grateful heart. Since life is short, do wholeheartedly the work God gives you now.

Notice the counsel the Preacher gives in light of life's brevity and uncertainty. He does not draw from these a counsel of gloom, but two counsels of grateful, wholehearted living. First, he says: receive and enjoy the ordinary good gifts of life, eat your bread with joy, drink with a merry heart, enjoy the wife you love, for these are your portion and are given by God, who has accepted your works. The ordinary joys of daily life, food, drink, work, love, are gifts from God's hand, to be received with gratitude and enjoyed, not despised or taken for granted. Second, he says: whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; since our time is uncertain, and there is a limit to our days, we are to do wholeheartedly the work that is before us now, not half-heartedly or putting it off. This holds wisdom for how to live. We can fail to receive and enjoy the ordinary good gifts of daily life, taking them for granted or despising them as too small, when they are gifts from God to be received with joy and gratitude. And we can do our work half-heartedly, as though we had endless time, when our days are uncertain and limited, and the work before us is to be done wholeheartedly, with our might. To receive the ordinary joys of life as God's gifts, and to do our work wholeheartedly in our uncertain days, is a wise and grateful way to live. We do well to receive the ordinary joys of life as gifts from God, and to do our work wholeheartedly, mindful that our days pass. Receive the ordinary joys of daily life, food, work, love, as gifts from God. Do the work before you wholeheartedly, with your might. Do not take for granted the good gifts of ordinary life. Since your days are uncertain, live gratefully and work wholeheartedly now.

That is worth taking to heart, for we are to receive the ordinary joys of life as God's gifts and do our work wholeheartedly, since our days pass, as the Preacher counsels. We can take the ordinary joys of life for granted and do our work half-heartedly as though time were endless; but the Preacher counsels receiving life's good gifts with joy and doing our work with our might, since our days are uncertain. Live gratefully and wholeheartedly. Receive the ordinary good gifts of daily life as from God's hand, and do the work before you wholeheartedly, mindful that your days are uncertain and pass. Receive the ordinary joys of daily life, food, drink, work, and love, as gifts from God's hand, and do the work before you wholeheartedly with your might, mindful that your days are uncertain and pass, as the Preacher counsels us to eat our bread with joy and drink with a merry heart since God has accepted our works, and to do with our might whatever our hand finds to do; for the Preacher, mindful that life is short and uncertain, counsels not gloom but a grateful receiving of life's ordinary good gifts, eating, drinking, and enjoying the work and love God has given as gifts from his hand, and doing wholeheartedly whatever work is before us since our time is uncertain and we do not know what a day may bring, which holds wisdom for how to live, since we can fail to receive and enjoy the ordinary good gifts of daily life, taking them for granted or despising them as too small when they are gifts from God to be received with joy, and can do our work half-heartedly as though we had endless time when our days are uncertain and limited and the work before us is to be done wholeheartedly, so that to receive the ordinary joys of life as God's gifts and do our work wholeheartedly in our uncertain days is a wise and grateful way to live, and we do well to do so.

Lord, the Preacher counsels me to receive the ordinary joys of life, food, drink, work, love, as gifts from you, and to do my work wholeheartedly, since my days are uncertain and pass. Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, he says; for God has already accepted your works. And: whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. The Preacher, mindful that life is short and uncertain, counsels not gloom but a grateful receiving of life's ordinary good gifts, eating, drinking, enjoying the work and the love you have given, as gifts from your hand; and, since my time is uncertain, doing wholeheartedly whatever work is before me. Show me the counsel the Preacher gives in light of life's brevity and uncertainty. He does not draw from these a counsel of gloom, but two counsels of grateful, wholehearted living. First, he says: receive and enjoy the ordinary good gifts of life, eat your bread with joy, drink with a merry heart, enjoy the love you have been given, for these are your portion and are given by you, who have accepted your works. The ordinary joys of daily life are gifts from your hand, to be received with gratitude and enjoyed, not despised or taken for granted. Second, he says: whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; since my time is uncertain, and there is a limit to my days, I am to do wholeheartedly the work before me now. This holds wisdom for how to live. I can fail to receive and enjoy the ordinary good gifts of daily life, taking them for granted, when they are gifts from you to be received with joy. And I can do my work half-heartedly, as though I had endless time, when my days are uncertain and the work before me is to be done wholeheartedly. Take that to my heart. Help me receive the ordinary joys of daily life, food, work, and love, as gifts from your hand, Lord, and do the work before me wholeheartedly, with my might, mindful that my days are uncertain and pass, living gratefully and working wholeheartedly now.