My knees are hurting.
Many of you read that sentence above and thought to yourself, “So are mine.” I have been moving furniture and boxes of things over the past several weeks after relocating to a new house. Every day is its own adventure in a new home. Our new house is not set up exactly how we want everything yet. My wife and I still have boxes to go through, furniture arrangements to try out, and projects to begin. My knees are just a little sore.
We all deal with aches and pains in life. Your knees may feel worse than mine. You may have serious health issues you are battling. Maybe your problems are not physical. Perhaps you are suffering from a broken heart. Maybe your anxiety has you captive with countless thoughts about what is next for you.
Whatever pain you are dealing with today, I want to encourage you with this exhortation: Take time to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. When we are hurting physically or emotionally, we tend to focus on the bad things we are trying to handle, and that is understandable. It is natural and sometimes right to get a grip on the extent of our struggles, but sometimes we have to take a breath and enjoy God’s blessings. Solomon puts it like this:
There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 (ESV)
God has given us miracle medicine for our pain, and it may just be the thing you need to do. Take time to enjoy your life. It does not mean your problems will go away. This also is not a call to pretend that nothing is wrong. It is an exhortation to find something good and wholesome that you like, even if your knees are sore. This glorifies God. How? Today’s passage says, “This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.”
So go and enjoy a meal from your favorite restaurant, and save room for ice cream. Take your kids to the splash pad, and listen to a podcast while your children play. Go for a stroll around town, and admire the beautiful things you see. Sit under a shady area at the park, and bring a sketchbook. Buy a few last-minute tickets to a Braves game, and take your friends. Host a game night or watch a good movie with the people you love. Do not let sore knees, a broken heart, anxiety, or illness steal the enjoyment of life from you.
Bee-Attitude
Blessed are you who take time to enjoy life’s simple pleasures, for you are fulfilling God’s design for the many blessings he gives you.
Grant Turner is the editor of the Barnesville Buzz and an educator, coach, and writer based in Barnesville, Georgia. He shares stories that bridge community, faith, and personal growth. In addition to teaching and coaching, Grant is Director of Musical Worship and a Sunday School teacher at New Hope Baptist Church in Zebulon, Georgia. He lives in Barnesville with his wife, Haley.
