Ecclesiastes 5:18 Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.19 Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.20 For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.
I have been in business for 30 years this year, continuing the company that dad started for me in 1992. AG Comfort has played the role of provision for my family, my sisters, and many others through these decades of business. It has been a roller-coaster, a tough learning experience, and I would do things much differently with what I have learned. But, I have also learned to be content with what I have, and now I see the joy of this stage of my career. I find myself investing myself in two young men as my dad did me, one of which is my oldest son showing interest in the industry. I am not pursuing growth, not chasing the American Dream of riches, but more the riches of time invested with each other. We have an incredible year planned together, and Lord willing, one we will look back on later in life as a highlight of our time together. The gift of time together is priceless, one that cannot be obtained with 80 hour weeks and increased profit margins, for your heart will never be satisfied, always striving for more money. Nobody’s tombstone ever says they wished they had worked more.
Most scholars believe it was Solomon who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes; the wisest man who ever live, one whom God gave wisdom and riches, yet he spends time in the book looking for the answer to life. He pens many times in this book that things are “the vanity of vanities, and chasing after the wind.” Would not it be as simple as the reflections of wasted time? Would not it be showing us that all our efforts into these pursuits of riches, of things (stuff) that we think will make us happy, of how they never satisfy our longing for happiness? Solomon even pens that folly (wasting time) was a vanity of vanities. Our deepest needs are for love, and happiness is a byproduct of that desire. You cannot find true love and not find happiness also. That is where God fulfills the desire within you, a desire he placed within you at the creation of you.
Solomon’s closing summary statement in Ecclesiastes is so simple. 12:13 When all has been heard, the end of the matter is: fear God [worship Him with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is almighty God] and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person. When we come to realize who God is, the author and sustainer of all creation, and that he desires an intimacy with us (his creation), the grace of that realization changes our lives forever. We see the joy in each day, the gifts from the Father of Lights from above, all that is good in the world comes from God. We begin to see the value of time invested in others, the value of sharing our faith with others, that time pays eternal dividends exponentially better than any earthly investment ever conceived. Find time to read your Bible, find time to share your faith, find time to tell someone you love them, and show them by investing your time with them.
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