Vanity

What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw is from the hand of God.

I love Ecclesiastes. It's like a little reality check amid all this other stuff in the Bible. No where else does it really get into the fact that maybe you should chill out and not try to just do as much as you can while you are alive in terms of gaining wealth or status, etc. It says, "to the sinner He has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God." Why do we run around gathering and collecting when we have no idea what tomorrow has for us? Yes there is no sense in squandering your money because you could die any moment. But there's even less point in obsessing over money and things. Enjoy what you've been given, but don't worship it.

We work so hard and are so stressed all the time. We think all of the sudden it has become so much more complicated then the way things used to be. Just because it's more complicated now than 200 years ago, doesn't mean these feelings and anxieties are new. Solomon says it," There is nothing new under the sun." It's all been seen before. The decline of our culture. The stress in our lives. The increase of sin. Sure it is going to get worse than it ever has been, but it's not new. Nothing we have to deal with is new. It's all been seen before.

We spend our lives trying to gain things of this world and then we die. Where does it go? Our children? What will they do with our hard work? The government? Oh gosh...So after all the toil and hardship, we leave a legacy that really doesn't matter. Most of us will be forgotten by history. Most of us will never matter to anyone besides our children after we die. If we get to live that long.

So why do we obsess over this stuff so much. Why is it about gain? Some enjoy their gain too much and lose it quickly. Some never enjoy their gain and live stingy lives. How do we find the balance and still glorify God? Well I think the point is not to just enjoy what you've been given by eating, drinking, and being merry, but rather to not worry so much about what will happen if you spend your money on things you will enjoy. I know plenty of people who are afraid to spend money on anything, even if it will be fun. I'm one of those people sometimes. I worry about having enough savings that I frequently pass up buying things I actually need. Like underwear. or socks. So I'm taking my own advice here. Worrying about tomorrow is vanity. Wasting what you have is vanity. But enjoying the blessings God has put in your life is the only way to really be happy in this miserable little world we have. God has given us Joy, but we have to choose to accept it.

Lord, let me enjoy my life instead of worrying about the details. Let the numbers in my bank account never keep me from leading the life You've called me to. Let me never miss out on You because I'm so worried about something trivial. Let my worries decrease as my knowledge of You increase. Give me the wisdom to follow after You in all situations.


Amen. Amen. Amen.