John Lennon's Sagacity

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”  -John Lennon

Profound coming from a Beatle.

We can get so bogged down in getting through our very important schedules that we forget to simply enjoy right now.

Ecclesiastes can be misconstrued as a real downer,

“Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.  There was no profit under the sun.” Ecc. 2:11

It could be read as, “work your little heart out, who cares, you die in the end anyway; vanity.”  But I don’t think so.

Rather we are given the blessing to go ahead and work but in the end do not forget to enjoy life.

When was the last time you sprawled out on the sofa with a good book for an hour or more?

When was the last time you took your children and blew half the day doing something for the shear fun of it?

When was the last time you let your house fall into the least bit of disrepair and chaos to enjoy the moment?

Recently, smack in the middle of our school day, Taite, Matthias and I set out to see the fort that Matthias and his buddies have been building.  The fort was a sight to behold.  I could not believe the planning and detail that went into it; Oregon Trail folks would have been proud to call it home.  Its lumbered walls included shelves with found objects of glass, a window with a hub cap for closing, and a door with brass hinges.  Right outside was a fire pit where they cooked potatoes and onions.

The unusual warmth of that sunny day in February as the three of us walked through the sage brush, truant will be remembered longer that any old grammar lesson.  The countless hours spent at our little table will have its own reward but the blessedness of knowing my dubious effort is not the last word in smart children is total freedom.  That is why I totally get it when Solomon says,

“Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”

Solomon understood that when we think our work is the ultimate say in a matter we are doomed to a life of constant worry, hustle and defeat.

Mostly it is good to work, work hard and God will bless that.  But we need to beware lest we think it is our working, our planning that matters most and makes things happen.

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the lord directs his steps.” Prov. 16:9