05Apr
I have heard for years that money is a primary cause of marital distress. A lack of money does make bad situations worse. Find a household where there are problems. It could be marital problems, parent-child problems, or just about any point of conflict, stress, or disappointment. Roll a wheelbarrow full of hundred dollar bills into the living room and dump the money, leave, and come back in six months to evaluate progress. With infrequent exceptions, the problems will still be there and possibly more.
The conflict that home was experiencing was likely not a result of a lack of money. A lack of finances will almost always exacerbate problems but is rarely the actual cause. With the COVID19 crisis, where we are as a nation, even as a planet is disconcerting. We can experience depression as we attempt to stay current on the pandemic.
Tucked away in one of my favorite biblical books is a recipe for satisfaction in troubled times. Some 35 times in 12 chapters, Ecclesiastes describes life as “meaningless” in the NIV. “Meaningless! Meaningless! Says the Teacher. Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 NIV) What a dreary outlook. Over and over again in the 12 brief chapters, the “Teacher” (I think the Teacher is Solomon) points out the inequities and discouragements of life. My working definition of “meaningless” as used in Ecclesiastes is “unpredictable, unkind, and unfair.”
As we read through the book about the time we think, “What’s the point of even trying if life is so meaningless,” we start detecting a hidden message. Like eyes reflecting light in the darkness, we note the constant presence of joy! At least sixteen times, the Teacher stops the tirade about the unpredictable, unkind, and unfair nature of life to talk about God giving a gift of contentment. Sometimes the Teacher calls our experiences in the meaninglessness of life, satisfaction, and sometimes he calls it joy.
Repeatedly the Teacher calls satisfaction “the gift of God” (Eccl. 5:18-19 et al.). He calls satisfaction the gift that we “find.” And therein lies the secret. We get what we are looking for! If we have an entitlement attitude, we will find disappointment and frustration. If we trust the hand of God behind our life and go looking for joy in this meaningless world, we will find that God has hidden the treasures of satisfaction in a way that it is easy to find. I must repeat, we won’t find it if we are not looking for it. Are you looking? If you are, I bet you are finding!
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