Enjoy What You Have | Ecclesiastes 6

So everywhere we're driving, I'm like, I can almost can't pay attention because it's just the mountains are sneaking amazing. I want to take a video, a picture all the time. I realized, I know like 10 people that live in Colorado, do you know what they don't fill their Instagram with? Pictures of mountains, they don't care. - 'Cause they get used to it. - They're used to it, right? And I felt like I was like, oh man, what are the things in my life that are incredible and I'm used to them? Like when my first kids were born, I was like, I am never going to get over praying for these, like this is the greatest thing. And then now I'm like, can you stop talking to me? I'm trying to eat. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Like seriously, I'm going to choose this thing over this living thing that's ridiculous. And I feel like that's what Psalm is hitting on. Like, open your eyes, man. There are miracles like all around you. And you just walk and pass. - Yeah. - This is the Crossroads Daily. No experts, no perfect people. Just honest conversations about what happens when the Bible shows up in real life. (upbeat music)

- Welcome to Crossroads Daily, my name's Caleb. - And I'm Niko. - I'm Vivian. - I'm Zach. - And if you've watched the Daily before, you may notice we are in a brand new space. Beautiful. A lot brighter, looks good. - Yes. - It's going to be a good space for good discussion. - Yeah, yeah. - It's like we did a little trip to IKEA. - We did, IKEAed it up. We are in Ecclesiastes. We started that last week. We're going to get through a big chunk of it this week. We're starting today in Ecclesiastes chapter six. So if you just read it, or if you haven't read it, Ecclesiastes can sometimes feel like a little bit of a downer. Anybody agree? - Yeah. - A bit of a downer? - Yeah. - A lot of this is futile and this is what's wrong with lying. - Right, yeah. - But in that lemon, you know, we're going to squeeze it. We're going to mix it with the sugar that you guys bring. We're going to find some lemonade in the day. - I love it.

- I think we are. - I love it, yeah. - So I want to read just like the first two verses. I don't want to see what you guys make of it, okay? So Ecclesiastes chapter six versus one and two says, here's a tragedy that I have observed under the sun and it weighs heavily. God gives a man riches, wealth and honor. He lacks nothing, but God does not allow him to enjoy them. So this book is traditionally attributed to Solomon, which scripture says is the wisest man to ever live. He asked God for wisdom, God gave him wisdom. I don't know if immediately this feels like wisdom to me. It just feels kind of depressing. But where is the wisdom in it? What do you guys make of this? A man can have everything he wants, but it doesn't mean anything if he can't enjoy it. - Man, I just want to say off the top, Ecclesiastes was like the first book of the Bible, I remember liking, because I remember as a kid, I just like, you know, I would grow up in church or whatever and reading Ecclesiastes, I was like, man, this is how I feel. I'm like, sad, so relatable, I was like, okay. - We're just gonna laugh at your pain right now, man. - Right, right. So there's like, man, everything's meaningless. I was like, this guy's spitting. - Yeah, that's so amo, right?

- So right, I like to, but no, I like the thing, there's something of like, Jesus said, you can gain the whole world and lose your soul. Like it's really easy to have all this stuff, but not be able to enjoy it, you know, or lose a part of yourself as you search for that thing. So I think there's something to, how do you do the things you're supposed to do to strive and achieve and work like God tells us to work and also not make that the thing, you know? - Yeah, yeah. Now I think, I don't know, you're kind of, 'cause it seems to be like that this may be a, I don't know, pre-iteration, if that's a thing, but like to what you're saying, like the idea of you can gain the world and lose your soul, it's like this is just another version of saying that, 'cause ultimately it's, it's God is like, you can have these things, but there's gonna be avoiding you that nothing in this world can feel, you know what I'm saying? You're not going to be able, whatever I've placed in you, whatever, I don't know, you may be searching, you know, for whether it's relationships or wealth or whatever the case to feel this, this emptiness or this specific spot that belongs to me, right? Nothing is gonna feel that. Enjoy these things, but none of those will be a substitute for, yeah, his place.

That's what I hear when I wanna see this, yeah. - I also think this guy maybe takes things for granted. Think about Solomon, I mean, he grew up, he's David's son, so he grew up a prince, and now he's a king, so he may feel like, oh, you know, I'm used to life this way, and if, well, you know, if you're struggling along and you're not getting enough to eat or you don't have a place to live, like, more normal people problems, then you start to actually appreciate some of the small things, so maybe it's that his perspective has been skewed because of but, yes, yeah. - Oh, Wednesday's ribbed day. - Right. (laughing) - Yeah, so. - A thousand more cattle. - Right. - Right. - That's crazy, yeah. - I think it's really interesting that Solomon names three things, riches, wealth, and honor, which are basically the prime motivation for anybody to do anything. - Mm-hmm, sure. - Like, and he says, you can get all the things you want, but if you don't enjoy them, what's the point in getting them?

And that, like, that strikes me. I mean, it's really easy to like, get on the path of just acquiring things, because that's what culture does, right? Like, you get a house, then you outgrow the house, then you get a better house. You get a car. That car is not as cool. You get a better car, right? But you're not enjoying any of the things. You're not enjoying the small house when you had it. You're not even enjoying the big house when you have it. It's just, it's just a good reminder to me. I think I have to slow down. I know speed makes me not enjoy things. I'm just running. I'm running through conversations. I'm running through people. I'm not seeing them. My kids are like, "Look at the thing. Yeah, it's great. I gotta do this." You know? Speed stops me from enjoying the good things God's given me. What about you guys? There's something that you feel like

could be a block to you enjoying the good things God has given you. - Well, I think about when I enjoy things, it's usually because I'm doing, enjoying it with other people. And so, a block could be that you don't have the relationships and things to be able to enjoy the blessings that you have. - Totally. Yeah, totally. Yeah, I think when you say that, 'cause even as you went down your list, I'm like, even on a smaller level, like I can think of like the time and effort that I'll put into, you know, the new iPhone 18 is coming out. And the research you, you know, you do leading up to it. Or for me, you know, I'm a sneaker head. So on go and be it in on the shoes. And then once you get them, I don't know, it's like the Russia's gone. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like now it's like, you know what I mean? Like you spent all of that time and all of that energy and that effort and the process ultimately to get the thing. And then, I mean, I'll wear them or I'll have it, but it's not, you know what I'm saying? I'm not still living in the joy or the excitement

that, you know, went into, you know, actually working to get the thing. So I think honestly, it makes me question like, you know, the thing that maybe, like you say, you rush past, right? To, as far as enjoying it, is it that I'm, I totally just lost my thought. (laughing) - No way, yeah, that's a sneaker, yeah. - I totally just love my thought. - It sounded like what you were saying is like, the joy is in the pursuit of like the sneakers. It's like you can only wear them for the first time. - Yeah, one time. - Yeah, that's right. - And then after that, I was like, yeah. - Everybody's seen these, I got to get new. - Right, yeah, and it's like now you're going to a new thing. So it makes me kind of even question like, well, what actually, what am I actually after in this? You know what I mean? Like because clearly the, having it isn't as, you know, enjoy, you know, enjoy enjoyable as the pursuit of it. So I don't know, you know, maybe it's not a conclusive thought. Maybe it's just kind of something that I'm chewing on as we're talking about this, but yeah. - I recently got to go on a trip to Colorado, okay? - Mm-hmm, right. - Which is an amazing place. - Beautiful. - An amazing place.

We're right around Rocky Mountain National Park, right? And so everywhere we're driving, I'm like, I can almost, can't pay attention because it's just the mountains are sneaking amazing. I want to take a big video, a picture all the time. And I realized, I know like 10 people that live in Colorado, do you know what they don't feel their Instagram with? Pictures of mountains, like they don't care. - Because they get used to it. - They're used to it, yeah. - And I felt like I was like, oh man. - Wow. - What are the things in my life that are incredible and I'm used to them? - Yeah. - Like when my first kids were born, I was like, I am never going to get over praying for these, like, this is the greatest thing. And then now I'm like, can you stop talking to me? I'm trying to eat. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Like, seriously, I'm going to choose this thing over this living thing that's ridiculous. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - And I feel like this was Solomon's hitting on like, open your eyes, man. There are miracles like all around you. - Yeah. - And you just walk and pass?

- Yeah, yeah, I don't know. - Nah, that's so good. That's so good. And I love that you even catch yourself 'cause sometimes I'm the same way, especially having a toddler like, but I have to catch myself in the moment where I can, and it's funny because he only has so many words you can say. But one of them is, daddy, daddy, put your phone down. - Oh, man. - Oh. - Oh, dude. Every time I hear him say that, it's a shot to the gut, bro. 'Cause I'm like, in the meat, I'm like, you know what you're right. Let's play Legos. But yeah, bro. And it's like, but I don't know because it's like, when you do it, you never, I don't know. You so much just enjoy that time that you have with them. Whether it's just him being in the bathtub, splashing, I can be in this space with you, you know what I mean? But there's so many things that I can find that just distract me from, you know, just the goodness of the simple things with him. And he's only gonna be two, three, that's right. You know what I mean?

- That's right. - It goes so fast. I have three adult kids and you cannot go back around. - Yeah, sure, yeah. - Yeah, so I think the wisdom of Solomon, and at least in this chapter, is wake up and enjoy the things God's given you. You can be pursuing other things. Not that pursuit is bad. A pursuit is not the point, right? The things that God has given you try to enjoy them. So that's our challenge for today. Find something in your life that you enjoy that you don't normally think about. A cup of coffee, conversation with the friend, your favorite streaming service. I don't know, whatever the thing is. Thank God for it. God, thanks for coffee. Thanks for my friends. Thanks for air conditioning. - Wow. - Depending on the season you're in, right? Like it's a thing that we take for granted. Don't take anything for granted. Thank God for it. I think it might change your perspective for the day. We'll see you next time. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)

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