Life’s fulfillment
The Teacher is not ascetic nor a killjoy. He does not see the Christian life as the end of all pleasures, as the curtailment of enjoyment and satisfaction. But more than sensual indulgence and careless lifestyle, the Teacher instructs us to see enjoyment and satisfaction not as end in themselves. He instructs us to revere God, to acknowledge that our celebration of life is only possible because God willingly and delightfully allows it. It is our lot, a gift from God.
Our celebration then of our life journeys is not plain pleasure-seeking or merely sensual. It is reverential. It is sacred, almost like the Eucharist. We do not momentarily forget our connection with God. Rather, we eat and drink as an expression of our recognition, acceptance and thanksgiving to God for prospering and blessing our labor. This is our act of worship, our act of faith.
What we touch, hear, taste, see and feel is not all there is to life. There is a sovereign invisible hand that makes things possible. Frederick Buechner in his Beyond Words says, “What we know about reality through the five senses is roughly the equivalent of what an ant crawling across the front page of the New York Times knows about the state of the world.”
Written by Millicent Guarin
