June 18

Ecclesiastes 1-6
As Solomon approaches the end of his life, he reflects on life and all that it has to offer, finding much of it to be meaningless.  I have always appreciated these musings, but never so much as I come near my golden years.  My wife and I have already shed a lot of our earthly possessions in order to live in a motor home.  However, there are still some things we keep in a small storage shed at our daughter’s house.  These are primarily keepsakes, items that have sentimental value.  Not long ago I got to thinking about these sentimental objects and came to the realization that they are sentimental to me, which isn’t necessarily passed on to future generations.  There is a very good chance that my children and grandchildren will not cherish these things as much as I do.  Nearly everything we have or have done, will be forgotten by the third or fourth generation that follows.  Thus, Solomon’s advice to enjoy the fruit of our labors while we are still in the body is pretty good advice.  It isn’t a matter of being selfish.  Rather, it is appreciating what God has blessed us with.  Solomon repeats several times that the various joys of life are gifts from God, meant to be enjoyed, not hidden away for a future generation to scorn.