Contentment Is a Handful of Peace and Quiet
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
One handful of peace and quiet is better than two handfuls of hard work and of trying to catch the wind. (Eccl 4:6 GW) [context– Eccl 4:1-6]
Valuing contentment
Not a week goes by without a postcard sent by a realtor who wants to list our home for sale. Sometimes it’s a flyer hung on the door or just a big card left on the porch. Their typical pitch is, “We can get you top dollar when you list with us!”
We live five blocks from the beach. Our house was built in the mid-’80s and is probably a prime candidate to be remodeled and sold for a higher price. We live in an Air-B-n-B paradise and many rentals become party-house central for college students each summer.
Many older houses in our area are torn down to build larger beach-style duplexes and empty lots are becoming scarce. In one block nearby, at least five large duplexes have gone up in the past few months.
But this is our home. We don’t want to sell it. It’s become “Nana and Papa’s beach house” and a home for our parents in their last years. It’s a gathering place for our family events and day-to-day visits. Also, my wife and I hope to finish our last years here too.
America’s economy, as with many other nations, is driven by consumerism and tourism. As a nation, it’s estimated that we consume about 25% of the world’s goods and resources and are about 5% of the world’s population. In other words, we consume a lot!
But numbers don’t tell everything and numbers and percentages can be manipulated to tell whatever story or support whatever ideology you choose.
Perhaps the most telling indicator of America’s consumerism—more like our compulsion to consume and possess—is seen in advertising. Whatever form of media you pick, the message is clear. We want more!
Advertisers feed and profit off our obsession to have more—food, clothes, nicer cars, bigger and better houses, and more wealth. Just more!
But does all we have as a nation make Americans happy or satisfied? No.
Insights
To say Solomon was wealthy is a grand understatement. His wealth, power, and possessions, including slaves, rates as over the top.
And yet, towards the end of his life, Solomon developed a nihilistic view of life. He said it’s all, “…pointless. It’s like trying to catch the wind.”
Even with all his wealth and power, he couldn’t change the world and he couldn’t change himself.
Solomon felt it was better to never be born than to see the evil and oppression found in the world or to be stuck in the monotonous drudgery of work and life “under the sun.”
He even saw hard work and creative or productive skills as just a competition and rivalry with others, not the benefit of free will. Not only do we want more, but we also want to be better than others in some way.
It’s almost as if he could see our present situation and westernized lifestyle. A quick tour of Instagram seems to verify this is true for us as it was for Solomon.
But Solomon’s nihilistic view of the world wasn’t all negative. He came to appreciate the simple blessing of contentment with less for the benefit of peace and quiet.
Solomon uses the image of “one handful with peace and quiet” in comparison to “two handfuls” of hard work and striving for more.
Just one handful with peace and quiet—Can it really be that simple?
Existential Reflections
The expression “less is more” is championed by many people for different reasons. Essentially, it’s a lifestyle choice. I’m not talking about minimalism, although that may have some virtue. I see this as more than a philosophy of life.
The idea of “one handful” can be very different for many people. Regardless of culture or status, we can choose to be content with “one handful” rather than pursue “two handfuls.”
What a “handful” represents isn’t about quantity or quality.
I’ve lived overseas and visited many other nations in the world. I’ve seen people with very little material blessings able to enjoy their lives with a greater measure of happiness than many, if not most, wealthy people.
I grew up in a wealthy area even though our family wasn’t rich. I saw beautiful homes filled with many unhappy lives. These were people who had more than “two handfuls.”
My own family enjoyed a much simpler life overseas, even though our ministry work was typically 24/7 with few breaks. It’s not to say there was no sadness or turmoil around us. There was. But the cultural lifestyle was simpler. It was more of a “one handful” way of life.
After our return to our home culture in the US, we’ve tried to maintain a similar simplicity of life but it’s a challenge. However, it’s worth choosing. Anyone can choose it each day or run with the crowd who are pursuing the “two handfuls” way of life.
Jesus had a very different outlook than Solomon and Jesus knew and understood human nature (John 2:25).
Jesus also believed in a “one handful” way of life and called His followers to pursue it—
“If anyone desires to… follow Me…whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matt 16:24-26 NKJV)
Ultimately, it’s a choice each of us makes each day, whether by default or decision.
Will you choose the “one handful” way of life or continue to pursue “two handfuls”?
Are you willing to exchange “trying to catch the wind” for “peace and quiet”?
When we choose the “one handful” way of life—a life of contentment, peace, and quiet—it may not change the world but it will change us.
This is an excerpt from my newest book available on Amazon! Glimmers of Light in the Darkness of Life
The Scripture text for this devotional study can be found by clicking the blue button link– “Ecclesiastes Chap 4” [I’ve used God’s Word Translation (GW) for ease of reading but the button link will take you to the text in a parallel version with the NKJV text.]
Also, for further commentary, I recommend Enduring Word by Ptr David Guzik.