"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."
Ecclesiastes 9:11
This seems like a good reminder that what the world, and often we ourselves, think are the rules of life are not really the rules. :) That of course doesn't mean that we shouldn't strive and work for things, because that is part of what God asks us to do, but it does mean that craziness is going to happen in our lives. The job we thought was perfect we might not get. The house that seemed ideal someone else might buy, or perhaps we'll lose that job and have to sell it. Health problems can get in the way of the career or achievement that we were striving for.
I think the difference is the "things" that we should be striving for... for instance, to be of service to our fellow men, to help other people, to endure to the end and be able to return to the presence of God. Maybe if we prioritize God and put feeling the spirit before accumulating wealth, things would go better. In part, this is what tithing is about. It's a law that shouldn't work according to the world's way of thinking... but it does work, and all of life is like that, if we put God first, things will work out... not always the way we want them to, but always the way they should to help us learn and get back to God.
A lot more of life than we think is wrapped up in faith. Today, let's remember that, and work on ours. :)
Also, bonus for today: found an old talk from 1976 when I was researching today, and that is where I found today's verse. Good one. Go ahead, read it. :)
Which Road Will You Travel (Thomas S. Monson)
Ecclesiastes 9:11
This seems like a good reminder that what the world, and often we ourselves, think are the rules of life are not really the rules. :) That of course doesn't mean that we shouldn't strive and work for things, because that is part of what God asks us to do, but it does mean that craziness is going to happen in our lives. The job we thought was perfect we might not get. The house that seemed ideal someone else might buy, or perhaps we'll lose that job and have to sell it. Health problems can get in the way of the career or achievement that we were striving for.
I think the difference is the "things" that we should be striving for... for instance, to be of service to our fellow men, to help other people, to endure to the end and be able to return to the presence of God. Maybe if we prioritize God and put feeling the spirit before accumulating wealth, things would go better. In part, this is what tithing is about. It's a law that shouldn't work according to the world's way of thinking... but it does work, and all of life is like that, if we put God first, things will work out... not always the way we want them to, but always the way they should to help us learn and get back to God.
A lot more of life than we think is wrapped up in faith. Today, let's remember that, and work on ours. :)
Also, bonus for today: found an old talk from 1976 when I was researching today, and that is where I found today's verse. Good one. Go ahead, read it. :)
Which Road Will You Travel (Thomas S. Monson)
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