Futility!
Ecclesiastes 1:2 "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."
Ecclesiastes 1:14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Ecclesiastes 2:17 Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
What do we Really Accomplish in this life?
The writer of Ecclesiastes calls himself a preacher. I can identify with that. He has tried everything that life has to offer. He says he tried partying, he built, he owned, he got rich and yet he thought life was futile. What was the point of his life and of living in general? I have not had the same privileges he had, but even so I can identify with his feelings of futility.
Sometimes, we get up in the morning and we accomplish a great deal. To me that is satisfying. Being a procrastinator, sometimes I get up and accomplish nothing. That is not satisfying. But even when we do accomplish a great deal, what does it matter? Who really cares? Some days, we might accomplish more if we just stayed in bed.
There is a poem that I remember from when I was young. It goes something like this (and I don’t know who wrote it so I can’t give them credit or blame as the case might be):
One day as I sat musing,
Sad and lonely and without a friend,
A voice came to meet from out of the gloom saying,
Cheer up! Things could be worse!
So I cheered up and sure enough things got worse!
Now that cheer may have come from a bottle and yes that kind of cheer can make things worse. But when you do a good job, who really cares? Do your corporate bosses really care? And if you work for yourself and amass a great fortune by being a good steward, who really cares? Ultimately the estate is left to heirs who may or may not appreciate what they have. I suppose the thing that really is depressing is that no matter how industrious and “right” we are in this life, ultimately we are going to die. That would really be depressing if I thought that there was no way to prepare for that day and for an afterlife. However, it is the hope of salvation that encourages me on my down days. I don’t hope to be saved; but because I am saved by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, I have something to anticipate with joy. I have hope.
But does God Really Care?
Even though men may not appreciate a Christian’s efforts, God does. I know that we are not saved by good works but God does judge a Christian’s works as to whether they are worthless or whether they are good. But the reward for good works is future and often does not feel very personal or fulfilling right now. Sometimes it would be nice to see an “A” on a test again or to hear someone say that they were helped by something that we did. In my business I hear about every mistake I supposedly make, but I hear very little about the things that I hope are helpful to others.
God Does Speak However.
On Saturday’s I usually eat breakfast out and prepare for the weekend. I try to write a rough draft of my weekly meditation and I try to make sure I have my thoughts in order if I am planning on speaking somewhere on Sunday This last Saturday, I went to Perkin’s to get a good breakfast and to enjoy a bran muffin. I was deep into my studying and didn’t really know what was going on around me. When I went to pay the bill, the gal at the cash register told me that my bill had been paid. I asked who paid it and she said a lady with a child sitting by the windows had paid. I asked if she had paid for others and she said, “No, she just paid for you.” I asked if she had left a tip and was told that she had left a nice tip. I don’t know who this lady was. Apparently she was "paying it forward" as many people do today. I try to do that myself from time to time. But out of all the people in that restaurant she chose me to show kindness. It was as if God were whispering in my ear, “See I really do watch out for you. I really do care. Keep up the good work and keep the faith." Of course that lady may not know what that act of kindness meant to me, but it made me realize that Solomon, the preacher, may have had it wrong when he said “ALL IS VANITY AND CHASING AFTER THE WIND.” From a worldly standpoint, that may be true. But from a spiritual standpoint that is not true.
Thank you, whoever you were and thank you Lord!
Meditation for the week of September 24, 2017