Be young and rejoice

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Ecclesiastes 11

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. (Eccl. 11:9–10)

Ecclesiastes is bold. It deconstructs us, and it reconstructs us. It frees us from any dreamy idealism that would run smack into the brick wall of harsh reality. But it also frees us from any grim cynicism that would keep us miserably half-alive. Ecclesiastes declares our freedom to live real life, in this real world, vigorously and confidently under the smile of God. Which puts our feet on the path of profound holiness.

And if you ask me, freedom of heart to live, really live, is the change we most need here in our time. We forsook idealism long ago. What hurts us now is the opposite. We have grown numb to lofty grandeur, and suspicious of happiness, and sceptical toward even simple joys, innocent laughter, playful fun. 

Plus, everyone is angry—and scared. No wonder we play it safe with a low-risk lack of commitment. But how does that pathetic strategy safeguard anything? It is a sin. A serious sin.

J. I. Packer describes it as “this morbid and deadening condition.”1 He even locates our dreary mentality in the category “sloth”—that is, sullen resignation, lethargic indifference. And sloth is one of the seven deadly sins! Packer calls it “a state of hard-bitten, joyless apathy of spirit.” And he knew what he was talking about. Cynicism is the very sin Jesus saved him from in his youth. 

Packer came to realise, “Being too proud to enjoy the enjoyable is a very ugly shortcoming, and one that calls for immediate correction.” In other words, enjoying the enjoyable is part of Christian virtue. Which means it’s a strength. A strategic strength.

Be careful, young man, young woman. Do not downplay rejoicing.

God did not give us eyes for eye-rolls. God did not give us mouths for mocking. God did not give us laughter for laughing at but for laughing with. Every time we turn God’s good gifts into our own snarky ironies, we are denying him. 

So let’s give this word rejoice a fair chance. No way will it set us up for more disillusionment. This word is inviting us in. It’s opening a door to a new, tender responsiveness to God, moment by moment. Great things happen there.

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