Wednesday, January 03, 2007

The thrill of being alive!

Ecc 9:2 It's one fate for everybody--righteous and wicked, good people, bad people, the nice and the nasty, worshipers and non-worshipers, committed and uncommitted.
Ecc 9:3 I find this outrageous--the worst thing about living on this earth--that everyone's lumped together in one fate. Is it any wonder that so many people are obsessed with evil? Is it any wonder that people go crazy right and left? Life leads to death. That's it.
Ecc 9:4 Still, anyone selected out for life has hope, for, as they say, "A living dog is better than a dead lion."
Ecc 9:5 The living at least know something, even if it's only that they're going to die. But the dead know nothing and get nothing. They're a minus that no one remembers.
Ecc 9:6 Their loves, their hates, yes, even their dreams, are long gone. There's not a trace of them left in the affairs of this earth.
Ecc 9:7 Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, Drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes--God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Ecc 9:8 Dress festively every morning. Don't skimp on colors and scarves.
Ecc 9:9 Relish life with the spouse you love each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange For the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one!
Ecc 9:10 Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! This is your last and only chance at it, For there's neither work to do nor thoughts to think In the company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed.

(Words from Solomon and Eugene Peterson in THE MESSAGE)

2 comments:

Schweers' Mom said...

Bravo!

I think I'm doing ok on the "dress festively" part - especially considering my new aqua and red cowboy boots! But I will have to work on the scarf thing...

Heidi Day said...

I copied this to my journal. It is very meaningful. The older I get, the more I appreciate these words. I'm trying to grab life and live it! Heidi