A Life Of Enjoyment

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13

I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)

ONE OF THE FAULTS OF SOME Christian movements from the past and present has been their tendency to favor austerity and strip beauty away from the faith. Perhaps this tendency grows out of a fear of human passions, which they believed should be constrained, not unleashed. Historically, the church has tried to contain the heart far more often than it has tried to set it free. But constraining human passion comes at a cost. Like treatments that aim at killing a cancer by poisoning the entire body, spiritual treatments target the capacity to sin passionately and to believe passionately at the same time. They often quench the spirit.

Such attempts almost always result in reactionary movements toward freer expression. The human heart will always struggle for freedom, even if it has to rebel to do so. But it should not have to. Jesus’ sacrifice allows us to be free not only of sin but also of the religious restrictions that try to contain it. He wants us to be neither slaves to sin and self nor slaves to law and willpower. He wants us to be conformed to his nature simply by gazing at it and stepping into it. As we do, we experience the fruits of his Spirit and of our own labor. We live in joy and satisfaction.

Many teachers will argue that it is God’s purpose for us to be holy, not happy—as if the two were mutually exclusive. But God makes it clear that he has designed us for fulfillment. Jesus spoke a lot about joy and abundant life. Ecclesiastes, for all its negative statements, nevertheless urges us to enjoy life. To do less is to dishonor the gifts God has given us to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17; James 1:17). It is to ignore our capacity for deep feeling and godly passion. It is to mistrust the image of himself within us. Honor him by seeking joy and celebrating his gifts in all their fullness.

{Lord, may I never seek my own happiness selfishly. Even so, may I find it completely. May I discover my truest, deepest joy in you and all of your gifts. Amen.