Qohelet's Quest - Part Six - Epicurianism

The basic things of life, because they’re so real, so immediate, so tactile, and so moderate, seem like they alone can bear the weight of meaning that we need. Taking pleasure in life’s enjoyment is not sinful, but should not be held up to be the sole satisfaction we draw from life. Only the Lord is to occupy that place. Psalms 16:11 – “In Your presence there is fullness of joy. In Your right hand are pleasures forever.”

We see from 1 Timothy 4:3-4 that God has created the enjoyments of life to be partaken of by those who know the Truth. But enjoyment of life’s simple things is not found in those things. A peaceful lunchtime reading a book is not found in the book. The enjoyment of that comes through the book. And enjoyment is only an image of our longing for true enjoyment whose actual source is in an object, the Lord, the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, and glorious news from a country we have never yet visited.

In whatever we enjoy in life, as we experience that sense of satisfaction and enjoyment, we should tell ourselves, “echo. This feeling is but an echo of Jesus. If this is so enjoyable, how much more is Jesus.” Jesus gave up the true pleasures of life, the eternal communion with God, so that we might achieve that as well.