Greedy Grasping /满了一把
Dexu Xia
Greedy Grasping
Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 4:6
In the ancient fable The Boy and the Filberts (Nuts), a boy sticks his hand into a jar of nuts and grabs a great fistful. But his hand is so full that it gets stuck in the jar. Unwilling to lose even a little of his bounty, the boy begins to weep. Eventually, he’s counseled to let go of some of the nuts so the jar will let go of his hand. Greed can be a hard boss.
The wise teacher of Ecclesiastes illustrates this moral with a lesson on hands and what they say about us. He compared and contrasted the lazy with the greedy when he wrote: “Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves. Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind” (4:5–6). While the lazy procrastinate until they’re ruined, those who pursue wealth come to realize their efforts are “meaningless—a miserable business!” (v. 8).
According to the teacher, the desired state is to relax from the toil of greedy grasping in order to find contentment in what truly belongs to us. For that which is ours will always remain. As Jesus said, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul” (Mark 8:36).
What are you driven to pursue and grasp? How can you apply the wise words of Ecclesiastes in order to find tranquility?
God, thank You for Your provision and faithful presence in my life. Help me to live in a contented way, exhibiting true gratefulness to You.
满了一把
满了一把，得享安静，强如满了两把，劳碌捕风。-传道书4章6节
在古老的伊索寓言《男孩与榛子》的故事里，有个小男孩把手伸进坚果罐里，抓了满满一大把，结果手却卡住了，拔不出来。他不愿意放弃任何一颗坚果，急得放声大哭。最后，他听从别人的劝告，放掉一些坚果，结果手就轻易地从罐子拔出来。贪婪之心可说是人人皆有，一不小心就会深受其害。
在传道书中，这位满有智慧的传道者也以双手为例，让我们明白贪婪会带来什么结果。他比较了懒惰和贪婪的人两者之间的差异，说：“愚昧人闲抱着手，自取灭亡。然而，只抓一把，得享清静，胜过两手抓满却劳碌捕风”（4章5-6节，新普及译本）。懒惰的人闲散安逸以致一事无成，但那些一心追求财富的人也会发现，他们的劳碌“也是虚空，是极重的劳苦”（8节）。
传道者说，人生最理想的状况是不再贪婪地抓住一切，而是要从真正属于我们的事物中得到满足，这些真正属于我们的事物是我们永远都不会失去的。耶稣更清楚表明：“人就是赚得全世界，赔上自己的生命，有什么益处呢？”（马可福音8章36节）
上帝啊，感谢祢在我生命中
充足地供应我，信实地与我同在。
求祢帮助我活得满足，真诚地向祢献上感恩。
如何应用传道书中智慧的言语使你得安宁？