Ecclesiastes 2:17
So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
On Sunday the pastor delivered an amazing message. He gave the congregation some understanding of what happens when we lose our focus on what ultimately matters, the glory of our Lord. To check our focus, the pastor gave us three things to look for.
1. Thinking nothing you do ever matters. King Solomon was plagued by these same feelings and wrote Ecclesiasties to try and describe them. He was the richest, wisest person in all of Israel, and he still felt like nothing mattered. He needed a shift in focus. A person can go through their whole life and not grasp an important concept. If everything you do is for yourself, eventually none of it will matter.
2. I'm tired. Look around you. Everywhere you look people cry out from exhaustion. Coffee, tea, energy drinks, caffeine, consumption of these beverages is a modern day sacrement to some people. Why are we so tired? We are over worked and over stressed. My pastor back home would often say the most important thing a Christian need to remember is that the Joy of the Lord is your strength. You lose your joy, you lose your strength. People, the only way to survive in this world with some semblance of sanity is to look upon the joy of the Lord. A hymn written by Helen H. Lemmel captures this idea so perfectly!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full on His wonderful face,
And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
3. Somethings missing. You have that perfect job, a loving family, a good car, vacations to the best places every year, and yet... you want more. How many movies, songs, and stories have been written around this theme? Why is it that humanity is never satisfied with what we have? We need more stuff! We need more accomplishments! Why do we have this need to medicate an emptiness with more possessions? It's because we were created for something more. We were created for something bigger than earthly accomplishments. If you find yourself saying something's missing, it is. I am only 22 years old, and each year I begin to understand this lesson a little more.
If all you ever do is "earthly work" you will always feel like nothing matters, you will always feel tired, and you will constantly be searching for something else. Instead focus on the eternal. Find things that will have significance after you are gone. It is in these tasks that we feel most alive and fulfilled!
