Chasing
It's a little breezy.
2 min read
The book of Ecclesiastes has always stood out to me. The futility of man's constant need to impress struck me as exhausting even as a teenager. An endless pursuit of money and fame and possessions seemed so tiresome and empty. Even now, I yearn for simplicity in ways that drives my family crazy.
Studying this book of the Bible made me think I might have an affinity for depressing things, but really, I think I just appreciated Solomon's honesty.
In reality, this book is anything but depressing.
This world is fast-paced, "dog-eat-dog" (what a terrible saying), and increasingly narcissistic. There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Think about Noah's days. Sound familiar to today's culture?
For so long, I have tried to "chase after the wind," always trying to prove my worth. I got straight A's, I worked multiple jobs from the time I was a teen, I tried to impress with my style, I tried to be the "nice" girl that everyone loved, I avoided boat rocking, I started leading things and building businesses and connections in my community, I...I...I...
I have always tried so hard to chase. To prove that I can, that I am, that I have value. Even now, it's 1AM and I'm writing a blog for my website, possibly trying to prove that what I say has merit??
Even though the majority of Ecclesiastes focuses on the meaninglessness of...everything, it points us back to our calling and our great hope. This life is nothing compared to what God has in store, and shouldn't we be dancing in light of that?! This life is short. The woes, the successes, the pain, and the joy - they're all fleeting. Yet, eternity awaits us. The meaninglessness paves the way for the best ending ever written.
While I don't believe our calling on earth is meaningless, I do believe our striving is. God is our portion and our strength. We have all probably been told that we don't need to prove our worth to anyone. Yet, do we all try to prove our worth? I am somewhat convinced that we do.
Success is an illusion. We've been given the greatest gift because of Yeshua. What if we truly lived in the light of our salvation? When we remember what has already been done for us, the promotions and high fives seem pretty dim.