Ecclesiastes 11:9
New International Version (NIV)
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 into judgment.
I love this verse. I love that it tells us to enjoy life. I love that it tells us to follow our heart. But I worry that we misunderstand this scripture and ignore the last part - that God will bring you into judgement.
In no way is this meant to be a scare tactic but rather a warning to remind us that our actions have consequences. If you live in the world of addiction and are working on staying sober, chances are that you are already at the point where you see how your past actions caused negative consequences to you and others in your life.
I tell my kids often to just be kids. Don't worry about wanting the latest gadgets or needing to have the trendy clothes. Those gadgets will break or become outdated and clothes will come and go fashion-wise. What's more important is what you do with your time. I tell them life is so short and the time you have with no responsibilities is short as well - go outside and just run around, play a game of pick-up softball, just have fun. But I do warn them to be nice to each other because how they treat people also has consequences.
Many youth of today don't like the "faith" because they say there are too many rules. But I wonder what type of lives they really live. I personally feel that my faith actually frees me from the burdens and consequences of life as long as I strive to be like Jesus I clearly understand what is honoring to him - and so my playground is really easy to understand.
Regardless, go outside today and take a breath of fresh air. And enjoy "life"!
