Reason #954
I was walking to a luncheon with the HR director today, and we were talking about long term care. She was telling me about the buy-up options that are offered as a benefit to employees and how it's better to buy in when you're young so that you're locked in at a lower premium. She told me about how it pays for long term care facilities as well as home care, and while I know long term care can be for any age, I tend to think of nursing homes and home health care are for the elderly. As she told me about what a great benefit this was for the future, I found myself thinking, "If we actually make it that long."
This cynical cloud has followed me around for the past couple of weeks, and I can't seem to shake it. It has consumed my thoughts, and I can't help but feel like planning for the future is meaningless. That is completely counter-intuitive for my planner ways, as I've always thought ahead. But now when I start to think of the future, my stomach begins to turn. I think, "I don't want things to change unless they get infinitely better" because the future looks bleak to me. Time passes so quickly, and things don't last forever, but I wonder how and if these difficulties really will pass. I wonder if the saying "things will get worse before they get better" is holding true. And I wonder how much worse they can get. I can think up a million scenarios of how the world is falling to pieces, and frankly, I don't see how anyone is going to fix it. At least, not anytime soon.
I was born 42 years after World War II ended. While 42 years seems like a long time, it's really not. Clearly, the world was not in a good place then and a lot has happened between 1945 and 2014. The world has had its share of troubles along the way, but I've mostly known good. I didn't realize the gravity that came with being an adult, or should I say with being an informed adult, and sometimes I wish I didn't know. Sometimes I wish the world had never invented the internet. But we are the most informed society there has ever been, and sometimes knowing all the details is the problem. Knowing what is going on, both good and bad, can be overwhelming. And the truth is, my heart longs for the days of my youth when things were looking up.
I kind of understand how Solomon felt. He lamented about how everything is meaningless in this life throughout the entire book of Ecclesiastes. For 12 chapters he writes about how futile and unsatisfying life is. He says that all things pass away eventually because life is fleeting and unfulfilling. And so he advises that we enjoy the good in life while it exists. That while we can eat and drink and work, we do it. That we look for the beauty in things while it lasts, and that we enjoy our lot in life. He challenges us to enjoy what we do have rather than desiring what we don't have. He encourages us to live out our days as God has planned them since we don't know the future. And I suppose, being the wisest man to ever live, his wisdom should be considered.
Who knows what the future holds. It may get better. In fact, things may turn so far around that we can't even fathom the goodness that lies ahead. Or, things may not get better. We may continue on this downward spiral, bracing ourselves for the bottom to fall out. We may live out our days in peace, or we may be coming to the end of our time on earth. Who knows. And so while it may not be the best idea to plan years in advance, I do see how it is a good idea to enjoy each one of our days as much as we can. I can see the benefit of taking the good times in and reveling in them while they last. I am reminded of Psalm 23, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Goodness and mercy until we dwell in His house. I'd like to be followed like that!
#954 - For the goodness and mercy that will follow us to His house.
"This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart." - Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
This cynical cloud has followed me around for the past couple of weeks, and I can't seem to shake it. It has consumed my thoughts, and I can't help but feel like planning for the future is meaningless. That is completely counter-intuitive for my planner ways, as I've always thought ahead. But now when I start to think of the future, my stomach begins to turn. I think, "I don't want things to change unless they get infinitely better" because the future looks bleak to me. Time passes so quickly, and things don't last forever, but I wonder how and if these difficulties really will pass. I wonder if the saying "things will get worse before they get better" is holding true. And I wonder how much worse they can get. I can think up a million scenarios of how the world is falling to pieces, and frankly, I don't see how anyone is going to fix it. At least, not anytime soon.
I was born 42 years after World War II ended. While 42 years seems like a long time, it's really not. Clearly, the world was not in a good place then and a lot has happened between 1945 and 2014. The world has had its share of troubles along the way, but I've mostly known good. I didn't realize the gravity that came with being an adult, or should I say with being an informed adult, and sometimes I wish I didn't know. Sometimes I wish the world had never invented the internet. But we are the most informed society there has ever been, and sometimes knowing all the details is the problem. Knowing what is going on, both good and bad, can be overwhelming. And the truth is, my heart longs for the days of my youth when things were looking up.
I kind of understand how Solomon felt. He lamented about how everything is meaningless in this life throughout the entire book of Ecclesiastes. For 12 chapters he writes about how futile and unsatisfying life is. He says that all things pass away eventually because life is fleeting and unfulfilling. And so he advises that we enjoy the good in life while it exists. That while we can eat and drink and work, we do it. That we look for the beauty in things while it lasts, and that we enjoy our lot in life. He challenges us to enjoy what we do have rather than desiring what we don't have. He encourages us to live out our days as God has planned them since we don't know the future. And I suppose, being the wisest man to ever live, his wisdom should be considered.
Who knows what the future holds. It may get better. In fact, things may turn so far around that we can't even fathom the goodness that lies ahead. Or, things may not get better. We may continue on this downward spiral, bracing ourselves for the bottom to fall out. We may live out our days in peace, or we may be coming to the end of our time on earth. Who knows. And so while it may not be the best idea to plan years in advance, I do see how it is a good idea to enjoy each one of our days as much as we can. I can see the benefit of taking the good times in and reveling in them while they last. I am reminded of Psalm 23, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Goodness and mercy until we dwell in His house. I'd like to be followed like that!
#954 - For the goodness and mercy that will follow us to His house.
"This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart." - Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
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