WHEN TIMES ARE GOOD
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. Ecclesiastes 7:14
With Easter approaching, I find myself trying to avoid the stores so I am not tempted by Cadbury Crème Eggs. Oh, the delicious little chocolate eggs filled with a yummy center. I have birthed only one out of four children that enjoys the sweet treats with me each Easter season.
When Ryan and I unwrap our sweet treats, we anticipate the creamy center that is the best part of the indulgence. Periodically, we will come across a chocolate egg that appears to have missed the filling machine at the factory. I will bite into a chocolate egg, anxiously awaiting the sugar rush that is coming, only to be disappointed with the lack of filling. There goes my happiness!
Do you ever feel like that in life? When things are good, they are good, but when they are bad, they are really, really, bad. I am a natural-born planner; I blame my dad’s genes for that trait. I like to plan things and be prepared for what lies ahead. I like to remove all possibilities of things going wrong by making sure I over plan. At night, when my head hits the pillow, I play out the events of the next day in my head:
Get the kids up for school
Finish packing lunches
Make a special breakfast because I promised one of the kids cinnamon rolls
Start working early
The twins have play practice after school so I need to change the transportation plan
Homework needs to be done by 8:00 PM…..
On and on it goes. My husband and I plan out our days, travel to and from school, and work commitments like a Navy Seal Team waiting to invade. Each event has been planned out to maximize our time, cost efficiency (have you seen those gas prices?!) and happiness factor. We have discovered the parent that ends up doing all the running around one day is not normally happy that evening. South Florida traffic can suck the joy right out of you.
Much like the disappointment I get when my Cadbury egg is empty, I feel the same disappointment when things happen in life that go against my plan. It may be something as simple as a call from school that Ashley is in the office not feeling well and needs to come home, or it may be the strep test that came back positive in another child, it may be the late night announcement on my way home from church that one child forgot he needed a special shirt for school the next day or the realization that my husband and I double booked ourselves, all of which happened in a 24-hour period recently. My plan is full of family time and time with my husband with a sprinkling of school, homework, church ministries and work mixed in. If only my plan would stay intact, I would be happy. Or would I?
Some days, the plans go astray by things like a call from a doctor that forever changes the course of your life, the death of a child, the announcement from a spouse that they are moving out, the loss of a job or any number of things that derail our version of happiness.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon spends the first part of the book searching for satisfaction. From the outside, it looked like Solomon had everything. He had power, wisdom and riches. Without God, those things don’t matter. Solomon realized that apart from a relationship with God, he would be empty.
Ecclesiastes 7:14 is such a simple verse…..when times are good, be happy. That seems simple enough. When my Cadbury egg is overflowing with a sweet center, I will be happy. But what about those other times that we all face? What about the calls, the announcements, the revelations that change the course of life? I get to blame God for cursing me, right? Absolutely not! Keep reading verse 14…
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. Ecclesiastes 7:14
God created our emotions. He is the Almighty. He knows when our hearts break, He knows when we feel like we can’t take another breath because the circumstances are overwhelming us. It is in those times, I find myself clinging to His Words more than when I am, “happy.†It is in those times of despair that I find myself taking more time to sit quietly and wait for His voice to direct my plans.
Today, if you are in the midst of a happy time, praise Him for His faithfulness in your life. Thank Him for creating the things that bring us joy. If you are in the midst of a valley, thank the Lord for that as well. It is in the valley that we often grow the most, learn to depend on Him and trust His plan. Allow the Lord to use the bad times to show you your future. I promise if you stay close to Him, walking in His Word, staying in communication through prayer, the bad times and the happy times will begin to blend together. You will go from one to another knowing that in all seasons your Creator is right there by your side.
May your Cadbury eggs as well as your spirit be filled to overflowing!
God bless you,
Lori Steinkamp Lassen
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. Ecclesiastes 7:14
With Easter approaching, I find myself trying to avoid the stores so I am not tempted by Cadbury Crème Eggs. Oh, the delicious little chocolate eggs filled with a yummy center. I have birthed only one out of four children that enjoys the sweet treats with me each Easter season.
When Ryan and I unwrap our sweet treats, we anticipate the creamy center that is the best part of the indulgence. Periodically, we will come across a chocolate egg that appears to have missed the filling machine at the factory. I will bite into a chocolate egg, anxiously awaiting the sugar rush that is coming, only to be disappointed with the lack of filling. There goes my happiness!
Do you ever feel like that in life? When things are good, they are good, but when they are bad, they are really, really, bad. I am a natural-born planner; I blame my dad’s genes for that trait. I like to plan things and be prepared for what lies ahead. I like to remove all possibilities of things going wrong by making sure I over plan. At night, when my head hits the pillow, I play out the events of the next day in my head:
Get the kids up for school
Finish packing lunches
Make a special breakfast because I promised one of the kids cinnamon rolls
Start working early
The twins have play practice after school so I need to change the transportation plan
Homework needs to be done by 8:00 PM…..
On and on it goes. My husband and I plan out our days, travel to and from school, and work commitments like a Navy Seal Team waiting to invade. Each event has been planned out to maximize our time, cost efficiency (have you seen those gas prices?!) and happiness factor. We have discovered the parent that ends up doing all the running around one day is not normally happy that evening. South Florida traffic can suck the joy right out of you.
Much like the disappointment I get when my Cadbury egg is empty, I feel the same disappointment when things happen in life that go against my plan. It may be something as simple as a call from school that Ashley is in the office not feeling well and needs to come home, or it may be the strep test that came back positive in another child, it may be the late night announcement on my way home from church that one child forgot he needed a special shirt for school the next day or the realization that my husband and I double booked ourselves, all of which happened in a 24-hour period recently. My plan is full of family time and time with my husband with a sprinkling of school, homework, church ministries and work mixed in. If only my plan would stay intact, I would be happy. Or would I?
Some days, the plans go astray by things like a call from a doctor that forever changes the course of your life, the death of a child, the announcement from a spouse that they are moving out, the loss of a job or any number of things that derail our version of happiness.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon spends the first part of the book searching for satisfaction. From the outside, it looked like Solomon had everything. He had power, wisdom and riches. Without God, those things don’t matter. Solomon realized that apart from a relationship with God, he would be empty.
Ecclesiastes 7:14 is such a simple verse…..when times are good, be happy. That seems simple enough. When my Cadbury egg is overflowing with a sweet center, I will be happy. But what about those other times that we all face? What about the calls, the announcements, the revelations that change the course of life? I get to blame God for cursing me, right? Absolutely not! Keep reading verse 14…
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. Ecclesiastes 7:14
God created our emotions. He is the Almighty. He knows when our hearts break, He knows when we feel like we can’t take another breath because the circumstances are overwhelming us. It is in those times, I find myself clinging to His Words more than when I am, “happy.†It is in those times of despair that I find myself taking more time to sit quietly and wait for His voice to direct my plans.
Today, if you are in the midst of a happy time, praise Him for His faithfulness in your life. Thank Him for creating the things that bring us joy. If you are in the midst of a valley, thank the Lord for that as well. It is in the valley that we often grow the most, learn to depend on Him and trust His plan. Allow the Lord to use the bad times to show you your future. I promise if you stay close to Him, walking in His Word, staying in communication through prayer, the bad times and the happy times will begin to blend together. You will go from one to another knowing that in all seasons your Creator is right there by your side.
May your Cadbury eggs as well as your spirit be filled to overflowing!
God bless you,
Lori Steinkamp Lassen
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
