Meaningless?

It's been kind of a tough time recently.  Largely self-inflicted, really... not thinking in helpful ways about things, and not holding tightly enough to the Promises that I so dearly need to cling to (and for which this blog is named!).

Anyway.  So, you might think from this, that starting a series on Ecclesiastes (with its catch-cry of "everything is vanity/meaningless") an odd choice.  But on the weekend, I did just that, and started listening to Matt Chandler's series on this book.  Fantastic.  I'm a bit of a fan of Matt's.  He typically gives solid, Biblical teaching, and is passionate and engaging.  He spoke about how Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, explored all avenues for pleasure and fulfilment... and had spectacular resources for doing so - greater riches, wisdom and opportunity than any of us will ever have!  He explored seeking satisfaction in parties, women, riches, investing in home and garden (except his "garden" was basically a forest. Why bother with a vegie patch when you can have a forest?!)... et cetera.  But when he got to the end of it all, found that it was all meaningless, or a "vapour".  Temporary and unable to provide lasting joy.

Here's a little of what Matt said:

Ten years ago, you had in your mind this picture of what you wanted life to look like ten years from now, and you thought if you could obtain it, or get to it, you would be happy and satisfied.  The last ten years, you have put all your energy – and whether you did this consciously or subconsciously, you did this.  Most of you thought: “if I could get out of school, if I could get a good job, if I could find my husband or wife, if I could have children, if I could make enough money to go on vacation, if I could get a car that actually ran half the time… if I could get this, if I could do this…"  And you begin to work that ten-year plan.  Now, the reality is, if you’ve met those goals, you probably don’t even know it, because you’ve already replaced that ten-year plan with the new ten-year plan, because what you thought would satisfy you, has not.  So what happens is you work the next ten-year plan, and then you work the next ten-year plan, and then you work the next ten-year plan, and then you will die, and get painted up like a clown and put in the ground.  That’s it.  And almost all of us, whether we’ll admit it or not, have bought into the philosophy that what we need to finally make us happy is more of what we already possess. 

 Wow.  There's some real, painful truth in there.  And if this is where you stop, it could actually be pretty depressing!  Chasing things that - although they may be good things; great things, even - don't give us lasting joy and life.  And (as we were reminded tonight at church in looking at Hebrews 3 and 4), not a single one of us can cheat death.  Dying is inevitable for all of us, and we'll have to leave behind all we sought and worked for in this life.  

But there is hope.  It's Jesus, and what he did on the cross to conquer death and sin, and give us eternal life.  And he's the only one who gives meaning to all our toil and the things of earth.  They are a vapour, but they point to one who is permanent and forever.

Our challenge is to not be fooled by the busyness of life, and our explicit or subconscious Ten Year Plans...  to not be so caught up on the treadmill of life that we forget that we're not actually going anywhere with all our toil and our seeking... but that only Jesus takes us where we need to go.

That sound, it’s hypnotic.  If I put on my headphones, I can almost pretend I’m not on the treadmill at all.  It can maybe, just for a few minutes, make me forget that even though I’m running, I’m not going anywhere.  Here’s the bottom line.  You can take that step or you can let the treadmill continue to hypnotise you into thinking that your life is forward-progress.  But in the end, there is nothing under the sun that brings lasting fulfilment.  You have to look beyond the sun.  The groove cannot be filled with the temporal.  It has to be eternal.  And the invitation from Jesus continues to echo through eternity.  Come and thirst no more.

Turns out a reflection on the "meaninglessness", or rather the temporariness, of the things of this life (even the good things), and the eternal hope and pleasure and joy that is found in Jesus, was just what this momentarily-despairing young woman needed!  And ultimately, what we all need.

God is good.