Rejoice, young person, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the desire of your eyes; but know that for all of these things God will bring you to judgment. Remove sorrow from your heart, and put away pain from your flesh, because youth and the prime of life are fleeting. (11:9-10)
I don’t know if it is just the recent passing of my 54th birthday or Solomon’s melancholy in Ecclesiastes, but I have been thoughtful and reflective about the brevity of our lives. I was with someone recently and we were watching children play. They moved constantly, with no thought for the boundless energy that coursed through their frame. Up, down, over, under—running back and forth with careless abandon and limitless joy. My friend leaned over with a smirk and said, “Youth is wasted on the young!” Oh, the truth in that statement. What would life be like if we could have the wisdom and experience of today, coupled with the energy and vitality we had when we were 10!
This is why Solomon reminded the young to rejoice in their youth. It only comes once and it doesn’t last forever. If you are young, take advantage of every moment you can and live life to the full because that youthfulness is not forever. Yet, he says, “remember that you will still be held accountable for the reckless mistakes of your youth.” Some of us are still paying the price for the stupid thing we did when we were young; when we had no care for tomorrow. Some pay the price spiritually as well as emotionally and physically. Youthful vigor is a gift from God, but it is a gift that must be coupled with wisdom. The happiest are those who spend wisely from the vigor of their youth so they are healthy to the end and can enjoy the golden years with some of that energy left over.
I read a short story today by Jack London called, A Piece of Steak. It is about an aging boxer who is broken and past his prime, but needs to win in order for his family to survive. In the story, he faces a younger, stronger, but less experienced boxer. The hero leans on his experience and wisdom and almost wins the day. Yet, in tragic Jack London fashion, at the very last moment the energy of the lesser boxer defeats the skill and wisdom of the old champ. The impoverished, old boxer ends his career in tears and hopelessness thinking if he could have just had a “piece of steak” that day he would have had enough energy to win. The older is cast aside by the younger, and he remembers to his regret how he did the same to other greats when he was young. “Youth and the prime of life are fleeting,” says Solomon. Don’t waste it—spend it wisely on God’s kingdom and things that really matter.
