This is a lengthy post. Bear with me if you will.
When we first started studying Ecclesiastes as a cell group, it was utterly depressing. The afternoons at the Oh's always seemed darker and more stuffy. It was the same thing week after week. That everything is meaningless and there is nothing new under the sun. Melvin reminded us that the first part of the book is the author's take on life while omitting God and the second part of the book would show how he viewed life in Christ.
We are now at the final chapter of the book and
It is still meaningless. And still there is nothing new under the sun.
But the thing that changed was this: perspective.
Tonight at cell, after taking a few verses each and reading them out loud, we were left speechless. We stared at each other's faces and started to laugh because WOAH mind blown. Ecclesiastes chapters 11 & 12 are so poetic.
The issue of predestination and free will used to keep me up all night. And at this point in my life I figured that everything is a web, as I have spilled in this post and this one too. I believe that there is no ONE path, no ONE point, no ONE ending. The only thing that is absolute is God and the Truth. But everything else is grey. I remember arguing about the absolutes in life with D Kon. He was pushing the idea that nothing is absolute in this world. And when he said that, I realised that not everything is absolute in this world, but there has to be one absolute. As C.S Lewis always mentions, there has to be a standard to which we measure ourselves. In Mere Christianity, he describes our conscience this way, "Human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and can not really get rid of it." And OJK brought up the question, "Why do some non-believers behave more moral than believers?" I can only understand it this way: every human being is God-breathed. God breathed life into every person, not just the believers. That means that there is a bit of God in all of us. Every creation has a little bit of its creator in it.
About absolutes. We get to pick the paths we take, but we cannot control the consequences that come with it. We might fall into that self-destructive trap where we ask what is the point of doing this, then? We cannot control what happens. What is will always be and what is to come has always been. But Ecclesiastes sets us free by assuring us that as long as we are in Christ, we need not fear the paths we take. As long as we have a relationship with God and know that He is with us, in us, looking out for us, there is no wrong path. If we outrightly disobey Him then of course we will end up in some sort of trouble.
There is no right path. There is no right decision. There is no right time.
It's about the here and the now.
Sometimes we get carried away about looking to our future and we forget to enjoy all that we have now. We cannot live in the future because it is not a space in time at all. It's our own construction of reality. Contrary to popular belief, enjoying your material stuff and your youth is not a bad thing. Ecclesiastes tells us to enjoy all we have, but remember to do it in a Godly way. I like how the chapter is filled with disclaimers. So many times people take one verse from the bible in a vacuum and it is misleading. But this book is filled with disclaimers.
Enjoy what you have, but remember to be accountable to God.
You cannot be idle, but don't stress about the results of your hard work.
Chapter 11:9-10 reads:
"Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity."
It's basically telling us to CHEER UP. When the author mentions that our youth is vanity, I don't think he means that it is all for waste. It means that we shouldn't take things so seriously all the time because in the end, it amounts to little. My cousin has been giving my 12-year-old niece pep talks on friendships and growing up and she always reminds her not to give up on life just because a few friends walk away. She tells her that she will always find new friends as she grows up and these petty quarrels and petty friends will not matter so much in the future. It's not that you don't treasure what you have now, but KAN KAI. Be optimistic. Learn to let go of the toxic things, learn to let go of situations beyond our control.
The book also talks a lot about taking risk. Since there are no right decisions and no wrong decisions and the only time is now, just take a risk. Opportunities present themselves to us all the time and you'll never know unless you try. Ecclesiastes' take is to work hard and take chances but don't insist or wait up for one result, one answer. Basically, be flexible and trust in God. It sounds like the Christian life is boring and all we do is go from day-to-day expecting nothing and having no power. But the Christian life is by far the most exciting thing I have come to experience. You see the world in a new light, you see your life differently, you see miracles happening, and you see God's hand in this world.
There is no reason to feel vexed, no reason to feel sorrow, no reason to wait for the right time. As long as you are in this sphere with God and your relationship with Him is right, make decisions knowing that He will make your paths straight if they go wrong, and just decide. Take a bold step and just whack.
I feel excited whenever I imagine a web of opportunities.
I feel safe knowing that in every line of the web, God is there.
So is there only one path or are there several?
Does it really matter?