Apart from the characters and their stories, Old Testament reading can be slow going for me. Recently I tried making my way through the Minor Prophets. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t get much out of it, except for an enhanced appreciation of Biblical imagery and poetry and a big reminder of God’s anger, judgment, and mercy.
Deciding to break from the Prophets, I felt led to the Wisdom Literature. I wondered about this. In the past I found books like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes to be discouraging and depressing, full of truths and suggestions I couldn’t live up to, and diatribes about the pointlessness of every day life. But God guided me to Ecclesiastes anyway, so there I went.
This is important to me because I have tried to get my To Do list together and keep it updated. I have tried to accomplish everything, stay open to new ideas and be eternally flexible while still establishing boundaries. I can’t do it – I know because I had the perfect opportunity to try: Extended time off work with pay. There’s too much. It’s a swirl, and when I try to totally organize it, I go nuts with frustration. Impossible.
Here is my lesson from this time in my life. Love and trust God, take a deep breath, and listen. Relax, do what I am led to do through His guidance and my own intelligence and common sense. The rest has to go. Not without some initial frustration and perhaps later regret at times. I will have to live with some ambiguity. But God puts meaning to it all, even the part I’ve let go. How beautiful, simple and real.
I'm very thankful for this Old Testament book that God is opening up to me.
