Watching the morning crowd pour onto the train, I felt the Monday blues kick in. From the sleepy, grumpy faces of those in the jam-packed train, I could tell no one looked forward to going to work. Frowns broke out as some jostled for space and more tried to squeeze in. Here we go again, another mundane day at the office.
Then, it struck me that just a year before, the trains would have been empty because the COVID-19 lockdowns had thrown our daily routines into disarray. We couldn’t even leave the house, and some actually missed going to the office. But now we were almost back to normal, and many were going back to work—as usual. ‘Routine’, I realised, was good news, and ‘boring’ was a blessing!
King Solomon came to a similar conclusion after reflecting on the seeming pointlessness of daily toil (Ecclesiastes 2:17–23). At times, it appeared endless, “meaningless”, and unrewarding (v. 21). But then he realised that simply being able to eat, drink and work each day was a blessing from God (v. 24).
When we’re deprived of routine, we can see that these simple actions are a luxury. Let’s thank God that we can eat and drink and find satisfaction in all our toil, for this is His gift (3:13).
By Leslie Koh
REFLECT & PRAY
What simple blessings can you thank God for today? What can you do for someone who’s in need or is unable to enjoy life’s simple routines?
Dear God, thank You for my ‘usual’ routines, no matter how boring they may seem at times. Help me to be grateful for Your every blessing in life.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon—who had everything—begins to despair. But he notes in chapter 3, “[God] has also set eternity in the human heart” (v. 11). He understood that we must look outside ourselves for the answers to our biggest questions. The story of the Bible shows how those answers are found in Jesus. As the apostle Paul reminded us, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” ( 1 Corinthians 15:19). Paul concluded, “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead” (v. 20). Jesus’ death and resurrection infuse our lives with meaning and purpose.
Tim Gustafson
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