20He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
Wealth can get in the way of real enjoyment. The wealthy expend most of their energy gaining and keeping their wealth, and have little time and energy to just enjoy the simple pleasures in life. They often live isolated from each other, parallel lives at best. They know how to give the appearance of harmony, but so many feel alone and afraid. But the man in our text is not wealthy. They have just learned to enjoy the moments they have. They can even find joy in their work. I have found over the years that when I am miserable at work, life drags on. But when I enjoy my work, the simple moments while I earn a living, that life seems to move at a much quicker pace, but that I enjoy the moments more. And there have been some periods in my life when I did not enjoy what I was doing. Even when I was cleaning toilets for a living, I found ways to enjoy what I was doing. It was not easy to do when the work barely paid the bills, but the bills did get paid and all my worry was wasted. Not many people want to be poor to the point that they wonder what their next meal will be. It can be difficult to find satisfaction in your daily routine, but that is one of the goals of living. Are you able to find gladness of heart in the small things you do every day? If not, what is causing your discontentment? Where are your thoughts taking you? And what does that journey do to your present moment?
The Arnold Journey 