In verses 1-3, we learned about death and how imminent it is. How our lives are so short and fleeting.
In verses 4-6, we learned that it's better to be weak and alive than powerful and dead.
In verses 7-10, we learned that we need to live our lives with a passion. That we need to glorify God in anything and everything that we do.
How does this apply to you?
This is the meaning I took from Ecclesiastes 9: Life is short and we need to enjoy it while it lasts.
This meaning seems superficial, but it's really not. Again, it doesn't imply that we can abandon all responsibility and have parties all the time, because immediately after "enjoy your life" it says to work at everything with all of your might.
The thing is, our lives are so unpredictable, we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Our lives are so delicate, we don't know what's going to end them, or even when. Tomorrow is a gift so many people take for granted. We schedule things for tomorrow, we push homework off until tomorrow, and we act like "tomorrow" is set in stone. We think, "Of course there's going to be a tomorrow." The truth is, we don't know that. We don't know what to expect.
I speak for every procrastinator when I say that "later" and "tomorrow" are my best friends. I don't like to do things now - I like to save them for later. But I might not have "later". I might not have "tomorrow".
Some of my extended family members aren't believers in Christ. I see them about once a year, if even that. And when I'm with them, I can feel God pushing me to talk to them, to tell them about my faith. But I get scared and think, "I'll do it when I'm older."
What if I don't get any older? What if my family never hears about Jesus because I took my future for granted?
The children in Connecticut had their lives taken away from them. They never got to experience what it was like to drive a car or go to high school. They didn't get "tomorrow".
What makes us so different from them?
Live every day like it's your last - because it very well might be.
Blink of an Eye
A glowstick might not last longer than a day, but for the short amount of time it glows, it shines.
Sydney, I love you. This entire blog I just heard your voice in my head. I started laughing when I heard you say "I hate glowsticks." But now that I have read through, it finally all comes together. What an amazing blog.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love that last sentence, "A glowstick might not last longer than a day, but for the short amount of time it glows, it shines." This reflects what our lives should be like in Christ so much. A truly amazing project.
- Julia Laukhuf
The way you wrapped the glowstick idea with the title was really cool, and I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation, as it was engaging, humourous, and applicable. Great job
ReplyDeleteI also adore your last sentence. It perfectly captures the meaning of this passage. Live life as a light, not guaranteed any more than this moment. A glow stick doesn't worry about its short life...it glows with everything its got until it is done. Your blog is a reminder that this passage tells us to do the same. Amen, sista!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you talked in detail for each verse. It really connected with me. I could read it and connect it with my life.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great reminder about how we do not know what will happen tomorrow! Everyday is a gift from God ( I so often forget that !) Thanks for the reminder!!
ReplyDeleteIt’s cool how you compare how we think of fruit flies having a short life span, to God seeing how short our life is compared to his! It shows how we really don’t have that long to live on this earth, and that we’re going to a better place. Riley Reimschisel
ReplyDeleteI love how you said “A glowstick doesn’t last for longer than a day, but in the short amount of time it glows, it shines.” I really like that, because it’s saying that when we’re here living for God, we need to shine for him to show non-believers how a Christ-like life should be. Riley Reimschisel
ReplyDeleteI like how through out your whole blog you talk about that we sort of need to realize that we arent here forever and we need to shine for the time being! thanks sydney!
ReplyDeleteSydney,
ReplyDeleteThe way you stated that tomorrow isn't granted really made me think. Now I understand why my parents are the way they are and how they tell my to live my life but at the same time work for it, because you don't know when your last day here is.
Caleb Kroft
I have never really thought about how short life is. Thanks for the reminder that we need to live for Christ now not tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI love how you just bluntly talk about death. Death happens to everyone we shouldn't cushion it with a pillow. It is so true that we need to be weak than powerful, because having power can get in the way of God.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely put death on the table very...bluntly. Makes me think about if I'm living my life without doing anything for God.
ReplyDelete-Logan N.
Life is to short and we need to live for god because a life can end in a blink of an eye like you said and we are that person here and then gone so fast so I think we need to start living for god not for us.
ReplyDelete"Live your life like it's your last day." This little saying means so much! We need to give our all, and honor God with the life and body that he has given us. Only God knows when we will die, it could be today, tomorrow, months and even years aways, but we need to appreciate every moment to the fullest. Great project, I like how you incorporated the Fruit Flies into the study.
ReplyDeleteI like how you explain the verses, so that an application is much easier to make. I also like how you make the analogy of fruit flies, and how it is good to spend life, short as it is, worshipping God.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you tied in the whole fruit fly concept, about how they don't have long lives at all. When we compare our lives to God, we are exactly like fruit flies and it makes you wonder about what you can do during this little bit of time that you have left on earth.
ReplyDelete-Madison
This was a really nice conclusion. Yes, procrastinating can be a really dangerous thing to do. Better to worship now wholeheartedly to the best of our little fruit fly ability than to wait until it's more convenient and have our lives go to waste. -Emily Thayer
ReplyDeleteI loved how this was telling us that we need to live with joy and happiness, and yet at the same time we must take responsibility, and do Gods will. We need to serve him while we are being happy, and also serving him will make us happy.
ReplyDeleteI love how you said, "A glowstick might not last longer than a day, but for the short amount of time it glows, it shines." I love how you related that to our own lives. Though our lives are only a breath, we have to shine for Christ with all the time we have! AMAZING SYDNEY!:) -Hannah Sass...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hannah. The line "A glowstick might not last longer than a day, but for the short amount of time it glows, it shines." It really summarizes you item and relates it to your passage. The rest of the post does a great job of finishing your blog and not leaving any loose ends.
ReplyDelete-Ben Flick
I really liked the point you made about the glowsticks, and how they might not last very long, but they shine. This is related to our lives on Earth, and it's very deep! Your blog was great, well done. -Izzy McClung
ReplyDeleteThis gets me thinking about what I am doing, and what I am spending my time one. It makes me realize what I do in my life. If I live my life like it is my last, my everyday life would be almost ridiculous. A good ridiculous, thank you for this perspective.
ReplyDeleteAlli Joy
I love this post. The kids in Connecticut are a great reminder of how short our lives can be. The procrastination thing (as you know) is something that I take for granted without ever really thinking about it. This challenges me to do things now instead of putting them off for later.
ReplyDeleteSydney, I loved your interpretation. Ecclesiastes is so heavy and difficult, but you did a great job. Like Ashley said above me, we never realize how short our lives are until something jarring and tragic happens.
ReplyDeleteGreat job wrapping up the whole message in one post. It really brought the whole thing together well. Praise God that he can still use us despite the brevity of our lives
ReplyDeleteA glow stick is a good example of our short lives and how we glow for him for a short time. I still have the one you gave me inside my laptop case, it's not glowing anymore but it is still a reminder of how our time on earth is short and that we need to use it for the glory of God!
ReplyDelete-Christopher Bailey
Good job on your conclusion! It summed up the whole blog well. I really like the line "Live every day like it's your last - because it very well might be." So true. Also, I like how you added the point about the children in Connecticut not getting "tomorrow" and how we are no different. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog. I like the way that you compared us to fruit flys, and how we only have a short life span.
ReplyDelete