My heart rejoices in all my toil.... Behold, all things are vanity and pursuit of the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:10,11)
A friend told me that he feels very close to God at his busiest times. He explained that when the demands were so heavy, that's when he fully relied on God's strength. He insists that if he doesn't take time to pray every day, then his job will only become an escape.
Many people engage in activities solely for the sake of the activity itself and use busyness as a tool to escape reality. Just as alcohol can turn off awareness of personal relationships, family obligations, and responsibilities in society, work can also become an addiction that numbs our sensitivity to life's more complicated problems.
About 3,000 years ago, the writer of Ecclesiastes realized this. He sought satisfaction by keeping himself busy building houses and planting vineyards. But when he contemplated the work he had done, he realized that it was all in vain (verses 2:10,11).
We can make the same mistakes, even in the name of God. Could that also be a reason why some of us go about our own church activities, and forget that fullness only comes from a heart filled with God? Are we working without taking the vital time of worship and meditation? If so, this is the time for us to worship God before being trapped in a job that is purely for the sake of the work itself --Mart De Haan
NEVER WORK HARDER
IF YOU DON'T PRAY A LOT
IF YOU DON'T PRAY A LOT