9-7-2019

Good Morning All,

        Ecclesiastes 4:4; “Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind"

    When I was in high school, there was a country song by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson titled “Luckenbach, Texas”.  It was a song that a man was singing to his wife. He was telling her that they were “so busy keeping up with the Jones, a four car garage and we’re still building on maybe it's time we got back to the basics of love.”  This is a common theme among songs that can be popular; yet we don’t often live this way.

    While our music seeks a simpler, easier paced life, our existence seems driven to more and more.  We seem driven to want more, buy more, demand more and then be farther in debt.  We seem to always look at our neighbors and think that they really have it made; why can’t I have that?

    I recently visited with a lady who experienced this first hand.  She was in her early fifties.  She grew up on a farm but went to school in the “big town” up the road.  Her friends were “townies” and always had the newest clothes, all had jobs for their spending money, always went to the movies and ate a lot of fast food.  She rarely got new clothes, made most of them, worked in the farm for her dad so had to ask for any money, went to a few movies and seldom ate at McDonald’s.  She always felt her friends had it better than she did so she sulked a lot and felt sorry for herself.  She skipped her class reunion until her 25^th when her husband made her go. 

    She was surprised when she started talking to her friends.  They were all jealous of her when they grew up.  She had a horse, no nosey neighbors, she didn’t have to work; she had real home cooked meals and her own room.  When she talked with me, it was bittersweet.  On the one hand, she learned that while our experiences may be different, in many ways they are the same.  Yet she also saw that for the first 40-45 years of her life she was mad at what she didn’t have instead of happy for what she did.  This she was changing and was enjoying what she had and that was a loving husband, wonderful children, fantastic friends and a grandchild on the way.

    This is what our verse is telling us.  We can rot with envy and jealousy or we can see God’s gifts to us and enjoy the life we have right now.  God’s Spirit gives us peace; peace with God and peace with ourselves.  The devil tries to disrupt this and when he does; pain surely follows.  God gives us the gift of a tranquil heart; a heart at peace.  Trust in God our Father to take care of you and enjoy the simple gifts of life.  Enjoy the love of your family and friends, the stars at night, the sounds of nature when you can and especially enjoy the grace that God bestows on us.

Dear Father, you give us more than we need yet we demand more.  Help us to enjoy the blessings which you bestow on us with the joy that you desire us to have.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret