Happy Birthday to Me and the Book of Ecclesiastes

Recently I celebrated my 30 something birthday.  During my morning quiet time I was really asking God to speak to me as I was doing some serious self evaluation.  What have I really done that mattered over these past couple of years?  Am I on track with where God wants me to be or have I been side tracked by life's busyness and distractions?  Am I ok?  Am I a good wife, parent, friend?  Did I make the right decision staying home with my children and even going the extra step to homeschool?   What about the Master's Degree I once thought I would get.  Was getting my BS degree a mistake or a waste?  Am I taking care of myself? 


As a child we look at birthdays with so much excitement as we think about what we are going to get and fantasize about eating a huge piece of cake with some ice cream.  Today however, I found my mind filled with questions.  I really did not have a plan of what I wanted to read but as I flipped through my bible my eyes gazed upon some verses I had underlined in Ecclesiastes.  I will never forget when I first really read Ecclesiastes.  I thought wow that is depressing.  However, as time has gone on the book has almost served as a compass to help me get back on track to what really matters in life.  As always God in his wonderful compassion knew I needed his compass this morning.  I wanted to share with you some of my underlined verses all from Ecclesiastes:

Everything that happens has happened before; nothing is new, nothing under the sun. 1:9
God has got everything under control.  Things that have happened to me are not unique.  God has seen them before and the same way he has helped his children in the past he will help me now.

No one who lived in the past is remembered anymore, and everyone yet to be born will be forgotten too. 1:11
Only a life lived for God makes an impact in the future.  Yes I may be forgotten but the ripple effect on others from my attempts to live a Godly life will impact my children, their children, and so on.

The best thing we can do is to enjoy eating, drinking, and working. 2:24
Joy is found in the simple things.  I don't have to take an expensive vacation, shop till I drop, or do so many other things the world tells us we need to do in order to find joy.  God's prescription is easy.  Enjoy the simple things I have given you.


Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. 3:1
I can't be everything to everyone all at once.  I can't be a super business person and a stay at home mom.  I can't neglect my kids while they are preschoolers then expect them to open up to me when they are teenagers.  I can't keep my kids out all night when they are 3 and 4 and expect them to act like grown-ups in the morning when they are tired.  I can't go to get a Master's Degree, homeschool, volunteer at every organization in the world, cook homemade meals every night, scrapbook, work from home, make my own clothes and bread, and spend hours of quality time with my husband all at once.  There is a season for everything.

God makes everything happen at the right time.  3:11
Did I really think I was in control anyway?

Everything God has done will last forever; nothing he does can ever be changed. 3:14
If I want something to last I better make sure God is in it.

If you love money and wealth, you will never be satisfied with what you have.  This doesn't make sense either.  The more you have, the more everyone expects from you.  5:10-11
Why are we killing ourselves for this American Dream?

Then go ahead and enjoy working hard - this is God's gift to you.  God will keep you so happy that you won't have time to worry about each day 5:19-20
Hard work = God's gift = happiness - I better make sure what I am working for is from God.

It's better to enjoy what we have than to always want something else, because that makes no more sense than chasing the wind. 6:9
That's why I don't watch a lot of TV.  It makes you think what you have isn't enough.  Like one of my favorite blogs says Want What You Have!

Something completed is better than something just begun; patience is better than too much pride,  7:8
I need to finish what I start, make sure what I start is even prompted by God and not my own pride, and exercise the patience already in me to complete all things.  This is especially true in my Homeschool day.  If what we are doing is prompted by what I see other families doing, or the pride of trying to make my kid know more out of wrong motives, my patience will quickly fail and the task will not be completed.

Words of wisdom spoken softly make much more sense than the shouts of a ruler to a crowd of fools. 9:17
Are my kids really listening when I am screaming like a crazy lady as they look on in terror?  Is that wisdom or just my lack of self-control, impatience, or anger?

Everything you were taught can be put into a few words:  Respect and obey God! This is what life is all about.  God will judge everything we do, even what is done is secret, whether good or bad. 12:13
God's Word speaks for itself.