Once again it's been a while. I think that's an on brand thing for me these days.
College and the senior year of high school combined is something else so I'll continue to be absent around here but I will try to post once a month and remind everyone that I'm still alive! ;) But this month I'm super excited to be presenting to y'all a collaboration with WONDERFUL
*Drumrolllllllllllllllllllllllllll*
IVIE
So what's the collab? We spent September reading Ecclesiastes together and discussing it (when our busy schedules would allow xD) but I would a 100% do it again. There's nothing like having that motivation and partnership to read the Bible. There were so many moments when the devil attacked me and told me I was too busy and then by some wild sort of coincidence (not really) Ivie would text me something i really needed to hear. God sure knew what he was saying about there being strength in numbers.
ANYWAY RAMBLE OVER…
On to the collab!
IVIE'S PERSPECTIVE
Hello, everyone! Thanks, Anna, for having me here. <3
So, Ecclesiastes is a very deep book, filled with a lot of knowledge and wisdom. Upon first glance, you might think it to be depressing. It starts off with someone known as The Preacher or The Teacher depending on what translation you use. The Preacher is often known for saying everything is vanity. That can be a huge downer. But, if you look a little closer and a little deeper, you’ll find this book can impart just as much wisdom as Proverbs can.
As I went through my reading, I took some notes of things that really stuck out to me.
“...all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”
This stuck out to me a lot. The Preacher kept saying everything was done in vain because we all die in the end. This was depressing to see at first, but the deeper you dive into the book, the more knowledgeable it becomes.
As the book goes on, the Preacher goes on to say that there is a time for everything under Heaven and purpose behind all that happens on this Earth.
This meant a lot to me. In the season of life I’m in right now, there’s a lot of chaos going on, things that I wish I could change, but I can’t right now. And it’s hard. But I know that this is a season of growth and change for me, that I’m learning something and all these battles I’m facing are for a greater purpose. This brings me encouragement
I could go on and on about the knowledge of this book, but here are some key things I took from my time reading it:
- Everything has a purpose.
-Being wise is better than being popular.
-Selfish labor of the hands is in vain. Nothing done selfishly will bring any good.
-Never make vows because you never want to give your word and not keep it.
-Be slow to anger and be patient.
-Obey authority. (This is a big one since many don’t seem to do that)
-Enjoy life because we all have the same outcome.
-Be diligent in seeking God early in life.
-Having God in our lives will help us withstand the storms that will be thrown at us.
This study brought me lots of joy and it taught me a lot about wisdom and life. I fail everyday to seek God first, but that is something I choose to work on. God doesn’t make me seek Him. I have to actively pursue Him.
And I fail, but He is there, waiting for me as I run to Him. He has my life in His hands and I trust Him.
To me, God is everything. Yet, I often neglect my time with Him, something I really want to improve on.
Guess what? It’s okay to not be perfect. That was Jesus. We are not Jesus.
We are God’s children and we fail everyday. But He loves us anyway and He watches out for us all the time.
And I can have peace knowing that.
ANNA'S PERSPECTIVE
Nothing makes sense
How many times in your life have you been at that point?
When nothing makes ANY more sense.
I know I have been, and so when I opened the book of Ecclesiastes maybe for the millionth time for some reason I chose to see it with new eyes. Not eyes that had read this all before. And boy it hit home.
The story of a person who has tried it all and yet is still lacking all.
Actually not of any person, the story of one of the wisest persons. I don’t know about you but that never fails to bring me some comfort. That Solomon, one of the wisest persons in the entire bible was asking himself these questions just like all of us.
In no way could i possibly cover the mine of gold I reaped from Ecclesiastes but I will try to recount some of those eye openers for you.
“The more you know
The more you hurt
The more you understand
The more you suffer”
Boy something about this verse hit so close to home. Yet I came to a big realization during this verse. Remember that quote in Divergent? “Fear doesn’t shut you down, it wakes you up.” I think it’s a lot like that. Yes, pain can shut you down but if used in the right way it can wake you up.
I feel like as a whole society we appreciate distraction from our pain and in fact we have developed these mechanisms to numb us and distract us from all the brokeness in our world.
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
I love this chapter so much because number one it’s sheer poetry.(as a poet stuff like that excite me irrationally) And also that no matter how bad everything is now there will be a different time under the sun.
And because I don’t want to make this too long, I'll cut to the end.
The MOST important part of all
That after all that life is. The sensible, the insensible. The big loop of confusion it can be...only one thing really matters.
Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
And this is what it really means. Despite the changing times, the difference of the lives we live, our comparable judgements. To enjoy life while we are here but most importantly follow in the steps of Jesus.
Powered by her love of creating new realities, Ivie Brooks began writing at the age of fifteen. Armed with a love of words and the joy of escaping reality for a little while, she pens stories of all lengths on her purple laptop. When she's not writing (because, unfortunately, she can't write all the time) she's most likely dreaming about her next novel or chasing plot bunnies in her head.
You can find her at Ivie Writes, her blog, or Ivie Brooks, Author, her website.
What do y’all think? Any lessons you have learned from Ecclesiastes and any thoughts about our observations?
Also could you do me a huge favor and comment your blog links down below because my blogger app is wacky and I’d read your posts on my phone so PLEASE SHARE!
