Enjoy Your Handful with Quietness

Daily Devotional – Saturday, February 24, 2024
Better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.
Ecclesiastes 4:6 (NKJV)

A man was giving bananas to a monkey. The primate grabbed all the fruits he was given and put some in his mouth. When his hands were full, he held some bananas with his toes. His movement was ridiculous as he attempted to carry everything. Eventually, he only got to eat a few fruits as his friends stole the rest.

Better a Handful with Quietness
How often are we like this monkey? We go out every day to make a living, but end up consumed by what we gather. For example, while money should be a means of catering to our needs, it ends up becoming our obsession. The more money we get, the more we want, often leaving us with no time to enjoy our labours.

King Solomon, with the benefit of hindsight, was probably pondering a similar scenario when he wrote, “Better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 4:6). What a powerful description of human and monkey nature! We crave lots of material possessions, but we get little or no satisfaction after our dreams come true.

Enjoy Your Handful with Quietness
The wise man advises us to enjoy our handfuls in peace. When we do honest work and give it our best, we can sit back and relish the fruits of our labour, however little. God blesses the work of our hands and gives us the pleasure and time to enjoy it. Instead of being consumed with the cares of this life, let us embrace contentment and give the Almighty control over our lives.

Prayer
Loving Father, bless my diligent, honest labour, and give me contentment to enjoy it.