As the year is closing and coming to an end, everyone seems to feel exhausted and over worked, and one cannot have a feeling but to spoil yourself with a little something special. You earned it right? You worked hard this year! Then the devil normally comes, sowing doubt in your mind about that which you think you want to buy for yourself. He even sows doubt after a nice meal you enjoyed. You know? When you spend money on something, rather than being more responsible with it.
My goodness, then you just do not feel good after doing something like this. Even if there was nothing wrong with what you did. Guilt and shame overwhelms you. Just there and then. You try to convince yourself otherwise and that you did work hard and deserve it, but there is no mercy. At the end of the day, you just feel like you do not have the boldness and freedom to do something for yourself, and then you end up not doing it anyway. On top of that, you feel guilty for having that thought (even if you did not follow through with it).
This is how I felt for many years about many things. Felt I am not allowed to purchase new clothes, have a meal in a restaurant with my family, even the house we are living in made me feel guilty (and it is not a magazine house, but, it offers a safe place and a place to sleep for each one of us – big enough for everyone to have their own space). The list felt endless. But then I came across this scripture. From Ecclesiastes (for the life of me I did not know what Prediker was in English! I had to look it up in the Bible again!) and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God. (Amplified version). WOW. What a wonderful piece of scripture!
The something that you feel you want to do AND enjoy, you are ALLOWED to do, because that is a gift from God. What this tells me, the long and the short of it is, if you applied hard labour during the year, and you enjoy the good that comes with this, then you receive a gift from God. This is so profound and I am not saying go and spend all your money on yourself and walk away from your responsibilities. Not at all! But enjoy it, when you do something like this.
I want to leave everyone reading this entry with the following – it is now December. Some people are paid bonusses, and others perhaps not. Some receive a thirteenth cheque (yes I know, cheques do not exist anymore, but we all speak of it in this manner), others receive a smaller bonus, a little something extra. If you received a bonus or not, do not feel guilty about the remuneration that you received. If you worked hard, really HARD during the year, then there is nothing wrong with enjoying it.
Whether you pay your debts or whether you buy something for yourself that you always wanted. Perhaps you only drink a milkshake. It does not matter, use the gift that God has given to you through your hard labour. It was a long year for everyone. Everyone is exhausted… This is officially the last entry that I will do that deals with the scriptures on the very first desk pad that I designed and sold through Beroepsvrou. What a journey it has been!! There will be more in 2023 – new year and new bible verses! Watch this space! May you and your loved ones have a Blessed Christmas. Be safe, enjoy the gift that God has given us. Rest well so that we can take on the new year with new courage and energy! 2023 is the year of Jubilee!
Moeitevolle Arbeid en die gawe
