Ecclesiastes 2

“There is nothing better for a man than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work.  I have seen even this is from God’s hand, because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from Him?  For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give the one who is pleasing in God’s sight.  This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.” Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 (HCSB)

“If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.” - John D. Rockefeller

Surely, there must be more to life than the acquisition of stuff.  Yet, “just a little more” seems to be the mantra of American culture.  Greed and gluttony are most certainly at the epicenter of our nation’s current financial dilemma.

It’s not hard to find a rich man, but have you ever found a satisfied one?  Rock stars and actors are among the most depressed people around.  You see, the more we acquire, the less the “emptiness” is satisfied.  Contented men and women are surely rare these days.  

I am reminded of the story of a simple Mexican fisherman.  One day, the Mexican was fishing on the river’s shore, minding his own affairs, when a vacationing American businessman approached him.  “Sir,” the American asserted, “I have been watching you from down the river.  During that time, you have caught five fish for every one I have caught; and all your fish are twice the size of mine.  What is your secret?”

“Señior,” the Mexican replied, “I have been fishing here my whole life.  I know all the places the fish swim throughout the day.”

Impressed, the American hired the Mexican to take him fishing for the day, and it turned out better than he had imagined.  Afterwards, the American paid his guide well and asked the Mexican about his life.

Shyly, the Mexican told his new amigo he had a simple life; he woke up in the morning and caught a few fish.  He kept enough to eat, and the few he had left, he sold in the market.  Afterwards, he went home and enjoyed a siesta with his wife.  In the evenings, he would stroll to the village square, drink wine and play guitar with his friends.

“What a tremendous wasted opportunity,” the American exclaimed.  “Did you know that you could make a lot of money guiding fishing trips?  And with that money, you could buy a boat and eventually a fleet of fishing vessels.  Then, you could open a cannery and export the fish you haul in all over the world!  You could become very rich.”

“What would I do then?” asked the Mexican.

Proudly, the American retorted, “Well, then you could retire and make your own rules.  You could wake up in the morning, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife, and in the evenings, drink wine and play guitar with your friends at the village square…” Be content.