The Thrill of Working Well
Illustration★★★★My heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Ec. 2:10 (Rsv) The author of Ecclesiastes was a deep-dyed cynic. He had tasted of life from many springs and had found them all bitter. His outlook on life was therefore that of one who expects nothing, so that when he finds nothing, he is satisfied, for he feels that his cynicism has been abundantly justified. In one significant particular, however, he exhibits a gleam of faith and optimism. He has worked hard and found pleasure in so doing. He asks for no better reward from life than the satisfaction that comes from working well.
The point
Drawing on Ecclesiastes, the author notes that despite life's seeming meaninglessness, there is genuine satisfaction and reward in working well and doing our tasks with excellence.