The chocolate bunny lies in the basket, surrounded by green "grass." With Easter morning eyes wide with anticipation, the little boy carefully lifts the candy figure and bites into one of the long ears. But the sweet taste fades quickly, and the child looks again at the candy in his hand. It is hollow! Empty, futile, hollow, nothing - the words have a ring of disappointment and disillusionment. Yet this is the life experience of many people. Grasping the sweet things - possessions, positions, power and pleasure - they find nothing inside. Life is empty, meaningless and they sink into despair.The book of Ecclesiastes is a autobiography by King Solomon at the end of his life after he strayed away from God. His honest words relate his findings that life without God is a long and fruitless search for enjoyment, meaning and fulfillment. He hopes to spare his listeners/readers the bitterness of learning through personal experience that carrying out life's pursuits apart from God is empty, hollow and meaningless. (From The NIV Life Application Study Bible)
I want us to ponder this statement today: There is much less that you can depend on than you might think! How many people (yourself included) have been searching for meaning and fulfillment in life only to find themselves feeling empty, disappointed and disillusioned. They are depending on things and people, other than God, to bring them happiness, love, acceptance, appreciation, respect, success, etc. Solomon describes this as a "chasing after the wind." A futile action with no lasting results. I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind (Ecc. 1:14).
1) Education - People are depending on wisdom and learning to fill the emptiness in their life. Knowledge is good - when gained and used in the proper perspective. Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind (Ecc. 1:17).
2) Career - People are depending on their work to guarantee a lifetime of comfort and success. We all know people who have learned the hard way that their careers cannot provide security forever. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun (Ecc. 2:11).
3) Others - People are depending on the approval and acceptance from others to give their lives meaning. If the right people love them, show them attention and make them feel special, then all is good. They will never feel alone or abandoned ever again. They are constantly in a battle to win the approval of others. And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind (Ecc. 4:4).
4) Self - People are convinced they don't need God; "religion" is a crutch for weak people who can't provide wealth and emotional well-being for themselves. We are a self absorbed society and yet a very depressed group of people. Something must not be working for those who ignore and avoid their need for God in order to find meaning and fulfillment in life. To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind (Ecc. 2:26).
5) Dreaming - People who spend their life dreaming of what could be; what would make them happy; if only they had more money, more material possessions, more respect, more opportunities, etc. They need to heed Solomon's advice. Six times in the book of Ecclesiastes he advises us to enjoy life now and be grateful for God's gifts. Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind (Ecc. 6:9).
God wants us to depend on Him for meaning in life. He wants us to realize that true happiness comes from obeying Him. He wants us to know that He will always be there for us. He wants us to stop chasing after the wind and everything else we think will bring us purpose and fulfillment in life.
BLOG COMMENT: Have you searched for meaning in things other than God? Can you relate to the frustration of chasing after the wind? Share with us!
5 comments:
For a long time I associated a great deal of my identity with medical things. From a very young age I was both exposed to medical tests, treatments, and jargon as well as learning I had a natural curiosity about it and love of learning more about it. I never recall wanting to do anything other than being in the medical profession. I dreamed of becoming a Dr. I did work in nursing. It was what I was good at and I was identified by it. This became everything to me…the fulfillment of happiness, the confirmation of why I had suffered myself, and proof I wasn’t unintelligent as many associate those with disabilities being. But…this was wrong. It wasn’t wrong to do a profession where I helped others, but it was wrong to rely on my own self to much. It was wrong to base my joy and worth upon it. It was wrong to sort of place it as some God. No job or career is your identity, source of true joy or what makes you valuable. I know any career or job can become instantly meaningless when you cannot do it any longer. It is then you will know only the eternal creates lasting joy, and serving God is far grander than serving man or position or money.
Years ago my husband and I built our dream house. When we moved in I seemed to only be able to focus on what it didnt have ie. lawn, window coverings; instead of appreciating our beautiful home. God sent me on a journey I'll never forget and never wish to go through again. It started with job loss, 6 months after moving in, resulting in living in our fixer-upper in Clarkston. Three years later, I found myself at Faith. I started attending the Ladies BLT class, coming to know the Jesus I had given my life to then 5 years before. When I made the decision to use my home to serve God by hosting Highschool small groups, my entire life changed. This fixer-upper still needs an awful lot of work but the reconstruction God has done in my heart is amazing. God has done a huge work in me: helping me to focus on what really matters. Praise God!
Growing up my I had a visual of how life was suppose to be. Career, husband, kids, white picket fence. Looking back I tried my best to capture all those things, always chasing tomorrow, next week, another rainbow. If you notice, God wasn't even in the picture. The only time God entered my world was when things didn't go as expected. I was always trying to please others, going in circles. My trials in life beat me to the ground. When you are down so low the only place is up..and there was God. Things don't always turn out the way "we" want them. I gave up being the driver in my life, now I am the passenger. God has a plan for each of us..enjoy the ride.
Great insights ladies..thanks for sharing!!
When you have many years tacked onto to your life, there have been many "Chasing After the Wind" times in my life.
But just let me say that God has truly been good to me & my family and we have seen his hand at work in healing wounds, seeing people as God sees them, meeting needs of our neighbors, moving many times and leaving homes that I wasn't ready to leave. This is saying that I wanted things etc. just as they were and not always involving God in the many decisions I(we)made. This made it hard for our children having to move from school to school, but today, Praise God, we see what God had in store all along.
Even when we don't include God in our decisions, he is still in control of our lives and lets us learn the hard way, only to come up on TOP!
Lord, I know that I am imperfect and that I fail You in many ways. Thank you for Your forgiveness and for Your unconditional love. Show me the error of my ways, Lord that I might confess my wrongdoing, and correct my mistakes. And, let me grow each day in wisdom, in faith, and in my love for you. (Promises & Prayers for Women)
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