It's been such a great reminder for me to remember the simple things in life, things I easily take for granted on a daily basis. There have been some tough days......days that I wish I could do over. There have been days where I've lost my temper when I should have remained calm. There are days when it felt like everything was against me. But, in the midst of those tough days there is still good. He gave me another day of life. He gave me clean water to drink. He gave me a roof over my head, clothes to wear, and the list could go on.
This past Sunday our sermon came from Ecclesiastes. Our pastor started off talking about a man from his previous congregation. He told us that this man valued the simple things in life. He valued his faith and his family. He loved his son dearly and doted on his wife. His life came to an end on this earth a few years ago and "Simple Man" was sung at his funeral. He went on to talk about how we need to embrace the simple, everyday mundane things...we need to embrace the daily opportunities to treasure God. In chapter 2 of Ecclesiastes the author sought out pleasure in his work, building houses, planting gardens, and drinking wine. He owned slaves and had more herds than anyone. He gained silver and gold. He had anything a man would desire and yet he didn't feel fulfilled. He realized that all of it meant nothing. One day he would die and none of it would go with him.
We need to stop and enjoy the things of this life that God has given us. Often we are distracted, too busy to pause and savor our Savior. How often are we checking our phones, email, our watch to see what time it is. Our pastor challenged us to savor the food, tell stories, give our mother a hug, write a note, take a picture, etc. We need to pause and thank God for the blessings of the day.
This made me think back to growing up as a kid on the farm. I saw my dad work hard. He was up early and during the spring and fall often came in late, long after the sun had set for the night. There were times we would bring my dad his supper out in the field. I got to ride in the tractor or combine and "help" with the crops. He also let me help with sorting hogs. I often chased pigs around and listened to them squeal. Those are such great memories for me. It's because of those simple things that I now see the love my dad invested in us. Even if he couldn't be in the house with us at supper, he found ways for us to be together. He invested time in his family while trying to provide for us.
I see it in Jeremy now, too. He spends so much time investing in our kids. He tries to teach them the value of hard work. I hope through our actions we are teaching them to appreciate the things God does for us each and every day, to invest in people and relationships and not in the things that we will not take with us one day when our life on earth is complete.
Tonight I will be like Jeremy, ending this post with a song by Lynyrd Skynyrd "Simple Man". While typing this post tonight we heard it again on The Voice. I think it was a reminder to again pause, remember what our teaching was about this week and put it into action.
