The Wicket Gate

Good Day to everyone! In today’s post we will continue our study of Ecclesiastes and Brian Borgman’s Don’t Waste Your Breath. Today’s text is Ecclesiastes 11:7-10 which is the subject of Chapter 18 titled “Don’t Waste the Prime of Your Life.”

“The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.

Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.”                 Ecclesiastes 11:7-10 NASB 95

                                    “Youth and the prime of life are gifts from God. But we go out of our way to spoil both gifts” (181). Our lives seem to be speeding by all the time even though the moments often go by slowly. The Teacher states that we should enjoy our days under the sun, enjoy the prime of our lives, not waste our time of youth, and to not let pain, grief and anger get in the way. The Teacher gives a couple of checks as he usually does, that the days of darkness will be many, and that the prime of life is fleeting. We have discussed previously the importance of living in the light, enjoying the good days and not allowing the fear of the future, the guarantee of dark days, to dim the beauty of the glorious days. Since we have already hit this point with a sledgehammer, I am going to pass over a little of the text and focus on the importance of our stages of life. God has gloriously and sovereignly designed our lives to give us experiences both dark and light to shape us into maturity. That maturity is not just for giggles. Maturity is a gift from God to shape others and by extension shape the kingdom. Maturity applied raises up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, becomes a positive influence in the workplace, and an edifying presence in the church. I would define maturity along the same lines as the prime of our lives. There seems to be a “past prime” that is discussed, perhaps that is physically true or even mentally true, but my experience tells me that no one is past prime. We may mentally or physically decline but we continue to be God’s means of grace. The “good works that were prepared for us beforehand” (Ephesians 2:9) does not have an age range. I write all of that to say that as we discuss rightly ordered affections regarding our age (both physical appearance and mental maturity) we should focus on the fact that He has brought us thus far, and He will carry us through and give us strength and ability to complete that which he has laid before us by His sovereign hand. 

                  Borgman begins by observing the state of society “Our culture is obsessed with looking young. We do everything we can to keep it, prolong it, or just pretend we still have it. People spend untold amounts of money on looking young—creams, lotions, pills, injections, suctions, you name it…. if you fall outside of that age bracket, do your utmost to make yourself look like you fit” (181). Our human tendency to not focus on the moment, or to strive for a different time, and by doing so we miss living life to the fullest. When we are young we want to be old, and when we are old we want to be young. Often we complain about our state in a general aura of discontent. “I wish I would have done___” or “I wish I would have done ___ different.” I should have or could have or would have, easy to say and unable to alter. I think all of Ecclesiastes up to this point helps us in our struggle. Focusing on the sovereignty of God, His control of all things, His working all things for the good of those who love him brings us peace. Still, I wish I would have done ____ different when I was younger. The Teacher is animate – don’t waste the prime of your life seeking that which has already passed. “Solomon is going to show us how to enjoy the prime of life responsibly and prepare for old age gracefully” (182).

                  We should enjoy our years, the prime of our lives. Fight the natural urge to look forward when younger or to look backward when older. This is not a command to never reminisce. Looking at the “Photos from Today” on our One Drive is not a sin when rightly ordered. Looking back at photos, or reading old writings, looking at schoolwork or art done in the past, looking at old love letters, or flipping through your wedding album is a glorious opportunity to give thanks to God for bringing you and yours thus far. Recordings and photos give living and vibrant reasons to be thankful. We can’t stop time- it must go on. But Christians should be thankful for this moment, for the moments that have passed, and the moments to come LW. That would be rightly ordered thankfulness and perspective of life. Borgman writes “If all I do is look at old pictures and watch old videos and mourn and pine for those days, then I spoil the current chapter… enjoy each chapter while you are in it. Enjoy each year while you have it, and don’t try to cling to it and relive it” (183). To some it may seem a contradiction, because we do look back and cherish special revelation in the scriptures, or that we await eagerly the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. This is no contradiction, the Christian lives joyfully in the moment. I don’t have space to flesh out that metaphor all the way—but I will say that the Christian lives by faith and that faith is based on what Christ has done, is doing for us now, and will do at the end of time. In the same way we can enjoy the past joy, future joy, and current joy all in the current moment. Balance is only possible in a regenerate individual strengthened the indwelling Spirit of God, in other words- a Christian.

                  Borgman adds to the argument by stating “The aging process will bring limitations and restrictions to what we are able to do and able to enjoy. Vigor gives way to ailments” (183). This is true, but I do not believe this should be our motivating factor. The failure of the flesh over time only gives rise to different purposes God has for us. Even in old age we should still live in the moment. Christian maturity is experience rightly applied. God has designed the body of Christ to have all ages of folks. The youth is important because they are the future, parents/ having kids age folks are important because they should be leading their children and physically serving the church, and folks with more experience in life are needed because the body of Christ needs loving, caring, faith-filled, experienced men and women of God. I write all that to say no one is outside the prime of life, each moment is the prime. Glorify God by enjoying Him in the moment you are in, whether the sun or darkness. Worry not about physical appearance! Borgman writes quite a bit about the human desire to be youthful in old age, be exactly who you are. Care for your appearance but fret not about the physical aging process. Your appearance and the smoothness of your speech exclaims “trust me”, and some may take that the wrong way. Youth and those that are children bearing age need to see and hear Christians with faith, full of grace and love, and have experience they can rely on. It is very difficult to write on this subject without becoming self-conscience of offensiveness of my words. The Church needs all ages, the church needs Christians comfortable with showing age, and the church needs Christians who in all times of life are ready to glorify God by working in His kingdom. Last thought on the subject! Respect the older members of the church! Do not let them feel like they have aged out, care for and love all the body of Christ. Some want to be left alone and that is ok as well, don’t let up, keep talking to and praying for all the body.

                  Last come the youths! Or as we said it when I was growing up the “utes.” Lol. Enjoy your youth is not a warrant to do anything and everything as your heart desires. Youth who are reading Ecclesiastes or listening to a sermon on the subject are highly likely to be regenerate. Enjoy time with friends in a God glorifying way, in other words with rightly ordered affections. We have so many examples of disorder- drugs, alcohol, sex in any form, robbery, jokes in poor taste, bullying, robbery, and on and on. The Teacher earlier has made it clear that we need not experience all these things to realize they are wasted breath.  Borgman states “Enjoy life more fully in Christ. Take time to make decisions in your youth, it won’t come again. Commit to your decisions, whether that is college or going into the workforce, getting married, moving to another city, or whatever it may be. Stay committed after having thoroughly deliberating, praying, and seeking advice from the Christians we just talked about in the previous paragraph. “To “walk in the way of your mind and the sight of your eyes” is to experience the enjoyments and achievements of youth as they are new and fresh to our taste. When we are young, we gain new perspectives, experience new things, and they are wonderful” (185). Paint, read, get part time jobs, learn to play golf, play the guitar, play the oboe, learn how to fix cars, make new friends, build stronger friendships with old friends, get a part time job, start a business, journal, read your bible, go to church, confess Christ as your savior, learn to interact with the opposite sex (in a God honoring way), and the list goes on and on! Enjoy your youth! Glorify God in all you do in your youth! Borgman says “Enjoy the gifts of God; don’t abuse them. Abusing God’s gifts results in idolatry and idolatry results in judgment. God will judge on how we either abused God’s gifts or enjoyed them. This qualifier is not only a reminder for the morally flexible but also for the morally uptight” (185). Borgman makes an excellent point on page 185, those who do abuse the gifts will be judged, for example the promiscuous, but also those who do not enjoy gifts because they are too afraid to have fun will also be judged. Both perspectives are disordered, don’t waste your youth in fear of the future. Glorify and enjoy God in all you do in your “ute.”

                  In conclusion, don’t waste your breath! Lol, I love Ecclesiastes and Borgman’s book. Remove grief and anger from your heart by prayer and the Spirit. Especially anger. Grief takes time, cling to the rock, find solace in the body of Christ, find strength in the scriptures and by extension what Christ has done for you. Don’t let darkness past or future cloud the light of today’s moment. Enjoy each moment as a gift, enjoy each season of life. Never stop working for the Lord, drawing near to God in love out of a rightly ordered heart. Your prime is today, no matter what your back may be telling you! Glorify God by enjoying Him forever, He is in control, in Him there is no condemnation, there is no separation, His sovereign hand is sanctifying us moment by moment until the time He has appointed for us to be with Him in paradise.

“Because these short years are a gift from God, soak in the sunlight, taste its sweetness, revel in new experiences, including love and the wife of your youth. Don’t delay. The sun is setting, and it will not wait for you. The light will fade. Live life to the full. God requires it of you. But live it remembering your Creator. Come to Christ when you are young…Jesus will not ruin your life; he will save you and redeem your youth. He will give you joy and perspective that will last a lifetime and all eternity. In Him, you will never waste this breath” (187)