This week we are in Ecclesiastes Chapter 1. 

The few of you who know me well can attest that I am not the most sociable person. And the rest of you do not know me well because I am not the most sociable person. But I do get out sometimes. 

Recently I had lunch with a friend. He’s a former co-worker with whom I last worked twenty-five years ago. We have lunch about once a year to catch up. We enjoy hearing updates about each other’s families, how work is going, and increasingly about our eventual retirement plans. We both have full calendars so it’s not uncommon for us to take three or four tries before we can finally settle on a date for our lunch. 

Those calendars hang over our get-togethers. One of us usually can’t stay too long for lunch due to an early afternoon meeting. But our most recent lunch was different for me. As we began talking, I quickly found myself feeling the usual pull of work responsibilities. 

But then we discussed a beloved former co-worker who had died young from cancer, and I felt something shift inside me. 

What do people gain from all their labors 
    at which they toil under the sun?  
Generations come and generations go, 
    but the earth remains forever. (Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 HCSB) 

My work would be waiting for me when I got back to my desk. Anything that had to be done that day could be done later that day. Other things could be done the next day, or the day after that. There is always work to do. 

The only thing that mattered in that moment was time with my friend. 

I recognize that I am blessed to have a job where I can sometimes make room for a long lunch and catch up on work another time. Not everybody can do that, and I am thankful that I can. But all of us have daily struggles and monotony and responsibilities that we must endure. The challenge is to keep those in perspective. 

Generations do come and go. Let’s make the most of our turn in the sun. 

I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34 HCSB) 

By Mark Stuart 

Mark is the husband of Laura, father of Shelby and Jacob (Bailey), and grandfather of Charley.