"Life Is A Hard Taskmaster"

"For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity." Ecclesiastes 2:22,23

 

Life is a hard taskmaster. It is not easy, it is hard. It brings sorrow, pain, troubles, distress, hurt, difficulties and vexation of heart. Life wasn't intended to be like this, and it wasn't before the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. But because of sin, life can be a struggle. Sickness, suffering, hate, broken relationships, violence all came as a result. We now have to labor to make a living. We now have to wrestle with disease and sickness. We now have pain in child birth. We have prison systems, courts of law, medical facilities, psychiatric wards to help make life at least bearable. 

 

Life itself may be a hard taskmaster-- hard and always keeping you "down"-- but God is not. Even in the midst of a "cursed world" of pain and misery, He is the Giver of life-- abundant life. This is why life doesn't destroy us as Christians. Life may happen, but God's love and grace sees us through it. He counteracts life. Pain may come in life, but God gives comfort. Weakness may hit us, but He gives us His strength. We may find ourselves in ashes, but He gives beauty. Life hits us with sorrow and mourning, but He gives us the oil of joy. Heaviness of heart comes to weight us down, but He provides us with the garment of praise. 

 

Don't think it strange when fiery trials try you, that is just life. Don't be shaken when affliction hits, afflictions are part of life. Don't get discouraged when tribulations come, in this world we will have them. But through it all, remember the words of Jesus, the Giver of abundant life. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He is not a hard taskmaster and He will give you rest, peace, joy, hope, strength and victory to live in a burden laden world that tries to beat you up. "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." This is why we can live in this world and overcome it instead of it overcoming us.

 

Have a great day. Life is a hard taskmaster, but Jesus gives us abundant life to overcome it and walk in peace and victory. 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 11:28

John 10:10; 16:33

1 Peter 4:12

Isaiah 61:3

 

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

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