In other words, set about it as if you mean it and know what you’re about. Eat and drink with gladness and joy. The second half of verse 7 shows us that these things are a gift: “for God has already approved what you do.” God takes pleasure in your pleasure. He’s given it to you.

Here we’re touching the heart of Ecclesiastes. Gift, not gain, is your new motto. Life is not about the meaning that you can create for your own life, or the meaning that you can find in the universe by all your work and ambitions. You do not find meaning in life simply by finding a partner or having kids or being rich. You find meaning when you realize that God has given you life in his world and any one of those things as a gift to enjoy.