“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.”
The Finish
The Preacher names something worth taking honestly here, evil days, years when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them, worth holding as sober, honest acknowledgment that aging genuinely, honestly includes seasons that are not simply, uniformly good, difficulty this whole book takes seriously rather than minimizing.
This is worth examining against however much your own approach to aging has required constant, forced positivity, unable to honestly name genuinely difficult seasons for what they actually are, rather than this verse’s own sober honesty, evil days genuinely named, without denial or forced, artificial cheerfulness.
Notice remember now thy Creator, the specific instruction given alongside this honest naming, not instead of acknowledging genuine difficulty, but remembering him specifically within it, worth holding as this whole book’s own pattern, honest naming of difficulty held alongside genuine, ongoing remembrance of God.
Whatever evil days currently describe your own season, or whatever you anticipate may yet come, receive today this verse’s own sober honesty as genuine permission, and receive alongside it this same instruction, remember now thy Creator, not denying the difficulty, but remembering him specifically within it.
Finish Well
- Name honestly whatever evil days currently describe your own season, without forced positivity.
- Remember your Creator specifically today, not instead of this honest naming, but alongside it.
- Resist any pressure toward constant, artificial cheerfulness that denies genuinely difficult seasons.
Prayer
Lord, I remember you, my Creator, even in these evil days, when I have little pleasure in them. Let me name this honestly, while remembering you specifically within it. Amen.
Carry this today
Aging genuinely includes evil days. Remembering God happens within them, not instead of naming them.