Enjoy the Years

      Light is sweet,
     and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
     However many years a man may live,
     let him enjoy them all.
     But let him remember the days of darkness,
     for they will be many.
     Everything to come is meaningless.

Be happy, young man, while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you to judgment. So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless. ~ Ecclesiastes 11:7-10 (NIV)

Shadow makes the painting.
Sorrow colors life, gives it depth.
A child draws with bright colors,
side by side
and we see it with loving eyes
so it touches us.
Youth and vigor offer great joy and fun
perhaps,
but who would go back
and live it again without change?
Life is good.
Live it.
Rejoice in life,
no matter what.

God, we can’t see the full tapestry
of our lives
but we trust you, the master weaver.
I believe.
Heal my unbelief.

A Time for Verse: Poetic Ponderings on Ecclesiastes by Barbara B. Rollins