We share the same fate

Shew Solomon really seems to be having a bad-hair day towards the end of chapter 3. His dark mood permeates the end of this amazingly complex chapter, but we have come to expect this of him. Remember that I encouraged us to read Ecclesiastes 12 before we started chapter 1? The reason for this was to remind us that Solomon eventually gets things straightened out in his heart, but he goes through a lot of turbulence before he makes peace with the Lord. 

"I also thought about the human condition—how God proves to people that they are like animals. For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless! Both go to the same place—they came from dust and they return to dust. For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life. And no one can bring us back to see what happens after we die. " - Ecclesiastes 3:18-22

A few words of Solomon's rant grab my attention today:

1. People and animals are given life by God and we will all return to dust one day. 

2. Could Solomon be suggesting that animals and humans will be together in the afterlife? Quite a comforting thought for many of us.

3. We spend a large portion of our lives in some kind of work - best we enjoy this as much as we can or perhaps find something that fulfils us. 

4. Solomon never knew Jesus, but it is reassuring for us that Jesus has conquered death and given us a foretaste of eternal life with him.

What do you think?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Buffalo or Cow?

 

In Rory Vaden's best selling book 'Take the Stairs' he shares a remarkable insight about the behaviour of a Buffalo and a Cow. Actually, to be more specific, it has to do with the way each animal faces an impending storm - they respond in two completely opposite ways.

When a storm approaches, Cows respond in a fairly predictable way - they try to outrun the storm! However, because Cows are not that fast, the storm catches up with them and they end up running with the storm for a longer period - in other words, they maximise their exposure to the hectic storm surrounding them.

On the other hand, the behaviour of the Buffalo is very different. They wait for the storm to arrive and then they charge directly into the heart of the storm. It may seem like a silly thing to do, but in the end, they minimise the time they spend in the raging storm and run through to the other side.

So, the big for us today is this: Which one are you? Buffalo or Cow?
My guess is that most of us are like the Cows, because we don't like storms, conflict or trouble to come our way. In a naive way we think that we can run away from the storm, but it will invariably catch up to us. The Buffalo's amongst us will testify to the pain of the storm, but also that by facing it head on, they were into the clear sooner than the rest of the Cows were.

Interesting don't you think?

Isaiah 4:5-6
Then the Lord will provide shade for Mount Zion
    and all who assemble there.
He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day
    and smoke and flaming fire at night,
    covering the glorious land.
⁶ It will be a shelter from daytime heat
    and a hiding place from storms and rain.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Glorious Nature

This last weekend we had the privilege of visiting a Wild Cat rehab centre in Hluhluwe. One of the highlights for the people on the Men's Retreat, was being able to get close to adult Cheetahs and also to stroke two of the cubs. We also got close to a Caracal, Several and African Wildcat - all beautiful in their own ways.

It brought home to us the incredible beauty of God's creation and allowed many of us to praise God for his Glory. These awesome animals (Cheetah) are built for speed, with the fastest recorded speed being 112 km/h - wow, that is incredible. Even the tail of the Cheetah is designed as a steering rudder and is able to help them changed direction at high speeds. God is so brilliant!

Psalm 104:24 - How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

 

As you go about your business today, try and take note of the beauty of God's creation.

 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

In memory of Olive

Last week we found a baby Ground Thrush that had fallen out her nest. The boys managed to rescue her before our Labby chewed her for breakfast. Anyway, we called her Olive and the boys really went out of their way to feed her and keep her warm.

When things started to look a bit bleak for Olive the boys even prayed for her. Sadly, little Olive passed away and the boys were gutted - we even buried her in the garden and said a few words at her 'grave-side.' Even yesterday they asked God to take care of her 'up in heaven!' It nearly broke our hearts to see them mourn the loss of the little bird.

In the end, this little incident teaches us that life is complex and that even despite our best intentions and efforts, things don't always go our way. Prayers seemingly go unheard.

In all of this, it is still important to remember that God loves us and when we surrender to God's will, it includes things of this world and the next!

Keep the faith, my friends!

Living in Grace
D3LM3