True Confessions of an Interim

Aug 28, 2024

By The Rev. Dr. Carl Grosse

Ecclesiastes is a quirky book in the canon of our Bible. On the one hand, it has famous passages like “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven,” and “Many waters cannot quench love,” and “Two people together are better than one.” Yet Ecclesiastes is also depressing, very philosophical, and quite materialistic. “And I thought the dead, who have already died, more fortunate than the living, who are still alive, but better than both is the one who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.” Yeah, try putting that on your Jacquie Lawson inspirational e-card.

Embedded throughout the book is a recurring theme that goes something like, “This is what I have seen to be good: to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days God gives us.” The exact wording varies each time it shows up, but my count has it occurring nine times in the book. Amidst all the negativity and beauty, poetry and philosophy, depression and pondering, the writer keeps coming back to this simple observation. 

I come back to this theme every Labor Day. The words challenge me to reassess my own approach to work. Almost like a New Year’s resolution, I think about how much my own desires and aims drive what I do, whether I’m burning out and missing this simple “enjoyment”, and how much I account for God in the whole thing. Paul reminds us that the instructions provided by God enjoin us to keep our neighbors in view, that our enjoyment from work is diminished if others go hungry or lack clothing and shelter. Conversely, our enjoyment of the fruit of our labor is enhanced when we share. Ecclesiastes also emphasizes that we work on God’s time, and we don’t know how long we have. This advice is meant for every day of the journey, not just after we reach whatever retirement goals we set up. 

So this Labor Day weekend, eat and drink and find enjoyment in your toil, whatever that toil might be. Remember others so your enjoyment is optimized. And don’t clock out until God says you’re done.