Don't take anything for granted

Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 The Message
A good reputation is better than a fat bank account.
Your death date tells more than your birth date.
You learn more at a funeral than at a feast-
after all, that's where we'll end up. We might discover something from it.
Crying is better than laughing.
It blotches the face but it scours the heart.
Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving.
Fools waste their lives in fun and games.
You'll get more from the rebuke of a sage
Than from the song and dance of fools.
The giggles of fools are like the crackling of twigs
Under the cooking pot. And like smoke.
Brutality stupefies even the wise
And destroys the strongest heart.
Endings are better than beginnings.
Sticking to it is better than standing out.
Don't be quick to fly off the handle. Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.
Don't always be asking, "where are the good old days?"
Wise folks don't ask questions like that.
Wisdom is better when it's paired with money,
Especially if you get both while you're still living.
Double protection: wisdom and wealth!
Plus this bonus: Wisdom energized its owner.
Take a good look at God's work.
Who could simplify and reduce Creation's curves and angles
To a plain straight line?
On a good day, enjoy yourself;
On a bad day, examine your conscience.
God arranges for both kinds of days
So that we won't take anything for granted.

With the holidays coming up I have really been thinking about how much I have to be thankful for, even the not so good stuff. We should never take for granted this life that God has given us, he has a reason for everything, and in everything we should be thankful and joy full. Courtney's favorite saying "He turns our messes into ministry." I love God's word and the truth he speaks to us through it. This verse really spoke to me in what was best for me, even though sometimes what is best is harder we get a better reward at the end.