Give Yourself Permission to Smile

It is stated that the wisest man in history was the great King Solomon of Israel.  To this day, his wise proverbs inspire us, challenge us, help guide us down a road of self-improvement and draw us closer to God.  In addition to the book of Proverbs recorded in the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes is also attributed to him.  Written toward the end of his life, Ecclesiastes has a different feel than his Proverbs, but is no less beneficial to our  life and faith.

When you begin reading Ecclesiastes, you are struck with the author's dark, depressive tone.  Though a man given wisdom from above, like all of us, Solomon did not always yield to heavenly wisdom and made many mistakes.  In Ecclesiastes, he writes from a reflective point of view as if he is looking back over his life and asking the questions "Why did I do that?" "Was that important?" "Where did my focus get off track?"  Over and over again he repeats the words, "Everything is meaningless!" and "Chasing after the wind."

hen reading Ecclesiastes, It's tempting to close the book and open to a different section of the Bible. We are more comfortable with lighter, more uplifting texts of Scripture.  Truth is, some of

The Perspective of Contentment

The happiest people aren’t necessarily the ones with the most toys. That’s not the message we are hit with on a daily basis through media and propaganda, but it’s true. The happiest people I know are those who have learned the secret taught by the Apostle Paul in the book of 1 Timothy chapter 6 in the Bible. The happiest people are those who have learned that “godliness with contentment is great gain”.

How is this so? Contented people have a different perspective than those caught up in the rat-race of materialism. When you find your value and identity in what you possess you are never satisfied. As soon as you feel you have arrived at a place where you can rest and catch your breath, your neighbor will pull up in a new, shinier model than the one you own, or your buddy will pull out the newest electronic gizmo that makes yours look like yesterday’s leftovers. When you look to things to give you meaning and purpose it is like filling a bucket that has no bottom, it stays empty.

Judging yourself based on money or possessions leads to a life of discontentment. A good definition of discontentment is…”when we are no longer satisfied having what we have.”