Things Will Go On

This week's portion, Toldot תּוֹלְדוֹת (Generations), based on Genesis 25:19-28:9, talks about Isaac and his descendants. It recounts the birth of the twins, Jacob and Esau, and the subsequent struggles they faced regarding their inheritance and their position in Adonai's plans. Struggles that didn't seem to have huge consequences at the time, but generated issues that haven't been resolved centuries later. The deceit that was formulated by a mother and executed by a brother to fool a father into giving the wrong son the blessing of the firstborn. What a horrific plot and calculated deception. Yet somehow this fit into God's plan for the redemption of humanity. God, somehow, always makes sense of the mess created by humans. He is Sovereign and absolute in His perfection. The future is always uncertain and impossible to view from our position. But God has made our path straight and will one day reconcile heaven and earth.

These chapters made me think about several things. I always use these times to self-reflect. What lessons is the Almighty teaching me through all this? I began to think about my role in all this. I often worry about the future and how I can positively impact it. Will my life impact others after I'm gone? I fear that I'm not doing enough, and if I can do more. I worry about how those I love will be when I'm gone and if I am doing enough to leave them in a better position. I worry if all my plans will come to fruition or if my time will be cut short before I can execute them. As I think about these things and flesh them out into this document, I also wonder if I'm alone in this, or if most people think these things as well. Last week, we spoke about death and how suddenly it can come. In life, we may have grand plans and hopes for the future, but life can end in a single and sudden event. When that happens, all the plans and efforts to make them come true feel futile. Just like Solomon in his confessions from his writings in Ecclesiastes, we begin to see that everything is vanity:

"What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever... I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind." Ecclesiastes 1:3,4, & 14

Depressing words, I know, but there is wisdom in them. I'm not saying stop having ambition. I'm not saying for you to give up because everything is meaningless. Nor will I do that myself. What I am saying, and what I'm learning and gleaning from this week's lesson with each word I am typing, is this: "everything is meaningless without God." Ecclesiastes is one of the most depressing books in the Bible, but keep reading, and you will see that it is also one of the wisest books. By chapter 3, Solomon begins to comprehend that everything has its time and place:

"To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1, a verse from a chapter that also became a famous Beatles song.

Enjoy family. Enjoy nature. Enjoy food and drink. Enjoy God and His creation.

I take comfort in those words, knowing that if my time now is to endure and suffer through a health problem, that this, too, has some purpose. I can take comfort that even in death, God has a purpose and uses it for good (as verse 2 says that there is "a time to be born and a time to die"). Everything has purpose when we live our lives seeking His counsel. Seeking His ways. Seeking His face. All my questions about the future fade away. All my uncertainties wash over as I water my heart with His Word, and my faith is strengthened through the testimonies of those who came before me. Solomon's conclusions are the same:

"What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:9-11

Solomon was a man who had everything any man could desire, and through it all, he concluded this:

"I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live, and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear Him." Ecclesiastes 3:12-14 and "When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

A conclusion that I will echo and pass on to you, the reader of this blog. Enjoy the fruit of your labor. Love your family, friends, and fellow mankind. NOTHING will bring you more joy than relationships. That is the ONLY thing that has value in life. Relationship with others and the relationship you MUST put first. Your relationship with Christ. As far as the future is concerned, things will all line up. God is Sovereign and will take care of things when you are gone. I write that with a grin on my face because my thoughts were utterly ridiculous just a few minutes ago. When I thought that anything I did or didn't do could matter so much that it would impact the future. The best impact you can have is doing these two things: Love God with all your heart and love others as yourself. It all continues to boil down to that simple statement. If you seek those, then you are golden (it is called the golden rule for a reason). Have a blessed week. Shalom Ve'Shavuah Tov!