The Meaningless-ness of Life

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NIV)

Oh, how I love the book of Ecclesiastes! For those of you who are familiar with it, you might be casting me a strange look. For those of you who are not familiar, the verse above sums it up pretty accurately. Now why would anyone love that? I have to say, it is utterly liberating. Let me explain.

My husband often leaves work carrying all the stress of the day home with him. For several years, it has been a struggle for him to let go of the day and switch his mindset as he comes home. Carrying that burden home everyday took a toll on him, as well as us. But then he discovered Ecclesiastes. All the worrying he did, all the things he thought were of dire importance, all the wrong things he would work so hard to correct, are meaningless in the light of this book. Not that he should not do his job and do it well, but to carry it home and let it affect how he lives outside of the work situation is utter nonsense. The liberating fact of Ecclesiastes is that nothing, outside of our duty to "fear God and His commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13), is worth worrying about. Yes, this duty we have is great and entails a whole lot of stuff we should be doing, but other things like wealth, advancement, pleasures, even wisdom, will only go so far in our ultimate happiness.

Discarding those things, however, is not the point for me. Putting them into perspective is the key. Work, wealth, wisdom and pleasure are all things we can use in varying degrees, but to elevate them highly enough that they cause us to worry and fret or when they take the place of God in our lives is ridiculous. They are meaningless! We need not fear or worry, which is why this book is so freeing. In light of Matthew 6:25-27, where Jesus tells us not to worry, because God takes care of all His creatures, birds and humans alike, we can experience the true freedom we have been given by God. Problems such as losing a job, death of a loved one or other life-altering situations are serious and warrant action on our part, but we must be willing to lean on the One who created us and trust that He will take care of us. After all, in light of eternity, everything else is meaningless.

God, help me to realize what is important and what is not. Show me the truth of situations so that I do not act in folly but remain true to Your will. Amen.

Nikki Hamsher