The Gift of Pain!

Ecclesiastes 3:9- 10   
⁹ What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
¹⁰ I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

            Many times in life we forget how important our perspective or outlook is in regards to any situation that we encounter.   If we examine the outcome of any situation, our outlook probably played a major part in the outcome of the situation.  How do you view uncomfortable, painful, and unsettling situations?  Do you complain about them?  Do you have a hard time embracing them?  Do you try to avoid them?

            Solomon helps us with our perspective about life and painful situations.  He adjusted his perspective in this chapter.  He brings God into the equation which broadened his perspective.  In the midst of our situation we might need to stop and try to view things from God’s perspective.  He addresses the different seasons of life in this chapter.  He addresses each season of life from a contrastive or comparative view.  He wants us to understand that God balances us out with things we view as good and bad. 

In verse 9, Solomon indicates we will not be able to always explain things about life.  God has arranged everything according to his time.  God wants us to embrace life and all it has to offer to the fullest.  Life is a gift from God.  We should be thankful for our life and all that God allows to come our way.  All of us have to come to grip with the fact God has assigned pain to everyone of our lives.  We can’t escape from pain.  Why do we look at pain from such a negative perspective?  Pain is the process God uses to make us productive. 

God uses pain to accomplish his purpose.  Wheat cannot be eaten until it is ground into grain.  A nail is useless until a hammer pounds it into a surface.  Clay is fragile and unstable until it is put into the oven and baked.  God has a job to perform with our lives.  We have to learn to view pain as an opportunity for God to transform us into who he ultimately desires for us to be.   

God bless and keep you is my prayer.

The Gift of Time

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)
¹ To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

            A couple of weeks ago I had a meeting for my job in Greenspoint (Houston).  From my office, the drive is about an hour.  On that particular day I had another meeting scheduled three hours after the meeting in Greenspoint.  The meeting in Greenspoint was cancelled, but we sat there for about thirty to forty five minutes before the meeting was cancelled waiting on all of the parties to arrive.  On my way back from the meeting I took a short cut so I would have plenty of time to make it to my next meeting.  While I was taking the short cut I ran into a traffic jam.  I sat in traffic for one hour and thirty minutes.  The thing I tried to avoid, I ended up having to deal with. Traffic was bumper to bumper and it seemed as if I was sitting there forever. 

Often times in life while we are trying to make it to our destinations, life gets crowded and we find ourselves in life’s waiting room.  Life comes to a screeching halt and it seems that life is on pause.  Frustration, irritability and anger set in because you want to move forward.  Often times there are certain things we try to avoid in life, but we have to face them in order for God to fulfill his purpose.  Does your life feel like it is at a standstill and going nowhere? Are you still waiting for God to move you into the next season of your life?

            Solomon helps us by putting life into perspective.  Solomon wants us to understand God uses time to accomplish his purpose. He takes something out of the natural order of life to help us deal with time.  He addresses time from the aspect of seasons.  He wants us to understand God has an appointed season for every phase of our life.  One thing we cannot do is rush our season.  We never know what God is doing or in the process of accomplishing through our season. God has a process that he has to complete in each season of our life so he can fulfill his purpose for our life.

I know we live in a time sensitive world where everything is moving at a fast pace.  We become accustomed to getting things right away.  We have deadlines for assignments, and we set goals for our lives.  We have to remember God is the governor of our season and he has a desire for our life. He wants to maximize our potential so he can use us for his glory. Time is a tool God uses to teach us his purpose, transform our perspective, and transition us into the next phase of life.  No matter how long your season is, allow God to complete the work he has started in you.

God bless and keep you is my prayer.