To spend time wisely, invest it in eternity.

智者将时间投资在永恒的事上。

“For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” Ecclesiastes 4:8

他说：「我劳劳碌碌，刻苦自己，不享福乐，到底是为谁呢？」-传道书4章8节

Henry worked 70 hours a week. He loved his job and brought home a sizeable paycheck to provide good things for his family. He always had plans to slow down but he never did. One evening he came home with great news—he had been promoted to the highest position in his company. But no one was home. Over the years, his children had grown up and moved out, his wife had found a career of her own, and now the house was empty. There was no one to share the good news with.

亨利每周工作70个小时，他喜爱他的工作，也得到丰厚的薪资，足以提供一家大小优越的生活。他一直想要放慢脚步，却总是办不到。有天傍晚，他带着好消息回家，想告诉家人自己晋升到公司最高的职位，却发现没有人在家。这些年来，孩子长大成人不住在家里，妻子也有自己的工作。现在就只剩下空荡荡的房子，没有人可以分享他的喜悦。

Solomon talked about the need to keep a balance in life with our work. He wrote, “Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves” (Eccl. 4:5). We don’t want to go to the extreme of being lazy, but neither do we want to fall into the trap of being a workaholic. “Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind” (v. 6). In other words, it is better to have less and enjoy it more. Sacrificing relationships at the altar of success is unwise. Achievement is fleeting, while relationships are what make our life meaningful, rewarding, and enjoyable (vv. 7-12).

所罗门王也谈到工作与生活间保持平衡的重要性。他写道：「愚蠢人游手好闲，让自己饿死」（传道书4章5节，现中修订版）。我们不必走到极端，变成懒惰虫，但也不能掉进另一头的陷阱，变成工作狂。我们要思想「一掌盛满，得享安静，强如两手抓满，劳碌捕风」（6节），换句话说，所得虽少却能好好享受，才是最好的。为了功成名就而牺牲人际关系，实在是不智之举，因为成功往往稍纵即逝，美好的人际关系才能使我们的生命有意义、有价值及心满意足（7-12节）。

We can learn to work to live and not live to work by choosing to apportion our time wisely. The Lord can give us this wisdom as we seek Him and trust Him to be our Provider.

我们应该学习有智慧地分配时间，工作是为了生活，而活着不是只为了工作。让我们寻求并倚靠上帝，相信祂是供应者，祂必赐下一切的智慧。

Lord, show me if my priorities are skewed 

and where I need to make changes. 

Thank You for the gift of family and friends.

主啊！当我摆错了生活的重心，求祢提醒我，
教导我当如何修正。感谢祢赐给我亲爱的家人和朋友，
求祢教导我珍惜身边的人。

整理：于姊妹