Celebrating with a Great Meal Even When Life is Meaningless

Talk about holding tension - wow, the passage today is a zinger! Hold on to your seat as you read it:

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.  Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. - Ecclesiastes 9:7-9

On one hand there’s an emphasis in the whole book of Ecclesiastes that life us meaningless: there’s no way to figure it all out, there will always be suffering, and God is so darn mysterious sometimes that it can be really frustrating.

But on the other hand, enjoy a great meal, dress nicely, put on some fancy cologne/perfume and enjoy sexual intimacy - God has blessed you, so you might as well enjoy the good stuff.

This passage can give you a little whiplash, and yet it speaks so truthfully to what we experience on most days. There are terrible wars going on and injustices all around, and yet if we don’t properly care for ourselves daily and practice gratitude then we’ll be no good to anyone.

So what have been your best practices in finding contentment in this topsy-turvy world? Is there a new practice you have considered adding to your life that might make a difference?