I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

Ecclesiastes 3: 12-13

This afternoon I stopped by one of the places I used to call on and learned that another physician friend was retiring. The moving truck was in the process of wheeling out his deck when we were able to say hello. I’ll call him “John” here (not his real name). Over the years we’ve had some interesting conversations along spiritual lines and although we didn’t see eye to eye on some things, the conversations were always friendly and like today, we said goodbye with a handshake.

For more than forty years he dedicated his life to his patients and from what I could see, he enjoyed helping them solve problems. As the preacher of Ecclesiastes reminds us, work is God’s gift to mankind.

We are to do good with our lives – no matter what it is that we are tasked with doing. As Paul reminded us, “whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”(Colossians 3:23).

The joy of work is a gift from God. I hear people talk about what they will (not) do in retirement, but it seems to me that there is always work to do and nothing is quite as satisfying as accomplishing a task.

The preacher recognized the importance of taking pleasure in our work. The preacher tells us to “be joyful” and to “eat and drink and take pleasure” in our lives.

Retired or not, there is still something to be completed and there is joy in that.