When times are good, be happy; but when times
are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man
cannot discover anything about his future. (Ecclesiastes 7:14)
When things are going
well, be happy? If you're like me, when
things are going well, you might be tempted to think, "Uh oh." That
might be part of what's going on in my head at the moment. On my walk yesterday morning, I found myself
thinking, "God, I think I'm going the way You want me to. I want to be
going the way You want me to, but I'm afraid I'm not going the way You want me
to." What's the problem? Nothing at all. Things are just going along, not
too fast, not dramatic, just there. When there's nothing to be upset about,
when there's nothing demanding my focus, I don't "be happy" - I be
anxious because there's nothing there.
When
times are bad... the obvious parallel is "be sad," but that's not
what God says. He says "When times are bad..." think. I like that. I like to think and right now,
times are bad enough around me that there is plenty to think about. What are we
to consider? God makes both good times and bad times. God, who loves us. God,
who created us for His glory and enjoyment. That being the case, what are we to
think about bad times? If He made the bad times to destroy us, then how will we
continue to bring Him glory or enjoyment? If He has made both, then both are
under His control. They will only last as long as He chooses for them to, so
now is not a means by which we can discover anything about later. That narrowed
vision that I tend to get when things are bad, the one that says that now is
unending, is wrong.
Wait
a second, doesn't knowing that bad times will end make us happy, even in the
bad times? Sort of makes me go
"Hmmm." (my thinking noise.)
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