Ecclesiastes 4:6

"Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit."
Ecclesiastes 4:6


When I read this and think of a handful or two hands full, I picture a little boy who wants all the candy he can get, and who scoops as much as he can into his mouth and grabs more. :) And, in a little kid I think it is sometimes cute, trying to get as much as possible of a good thing. :) And it is understandable that we sometimes, like that boy, want all that we can get, with both hands. But as adults, maybe we see the wisdom in being a little bit more moderate in our candy consumption... and maybe that is the lesson here. Not just about candy, but about anything where we feel particularly grabby. :)
I really love the word quietness here. I need some of that, and I think it feels pretty accurate that quietness is an opposite of that feeling of grabbyness... of wanting and trying to get it all. How do we get that quietness? Maybe it is that one-handful principle. :) Can we get some of what we want, and accept that it is enough? Can we be satisfied with moderation? A couple of verses before this it talks about envy and how that often shows vanity and vexation. And if we're going after that second handful just because someone else has it and we want it too, maybe it is time to stop and think about whether this is something that we really need, and whether it is a worthwhile goal. Will it rob us of some of that quietness, and if so... is it worth the time, effort, and vexation? Today, let's work on being satisfied with one handful. :) And let's accept a little more quietness in our lives, taking advantage of the opportunity to listen to God and feel the spirit.