Did you know that an old law on the books in Pocatello,
Idaho states that a person may not be seen in public without a smile upon their face?
In Ecclesiastes 3:1-14, there is a time for everything under the sun.
In the first 8 verses, Solomon (the writer of Ecclesiastes) lists 28 “a time to…”.
Some of these “a time to…” are easy to engage in, others more difficult.
Then we get to verse 9: “What do workers gain from their toil?”
Though, smiling on demand may not be the answer, having a good attitude towards work, labor, things that take effort is.
Relationships, our walk with God, facing fears, etc. can certainly cause us to experience life and all its “times” with a deep joy and peace.
Let’s face it — struggling, toiling, carrying burdens, hurting, weeping, none of this is “happy”!
But, happy does not equal joy. Our joy does not come from the experiences we go through but the God Who holds us as we journey on. That’s why we can cling to the promise in verse 11. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
The second part of verse 11 is an amazing promise! God has put the desire for eternal life in each of our hearts. Every person was created with a desire for God. It’s our choice to believe and follow Him, EVERYDAY!
The last phrase of verse 14, “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.”
This tells us why God does what He does: So that men will honor, revere, fear, be in awe of Him.
What has God done TODAY that you can do nothing but be in awe of Him?
Let this knowledge place a joy-filled smile on your face today! Praise God!