And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Ecclesiastes 1:13-14 (KJV)
Many of us think that if we experience everything life has to offer, then our lives will be considered full. Looking at the above scripture and reading the book of Ecclesiastes, tells us a different story. Solomon experienced everything in life, but that wasn’t enough for him. He still considered it vain and a vexation of spirit.
The reality of this life and everything in it is that it only satisfies for a season and then we are back on the treadmill of striving to achieve or acquire something else.
When we are young, we can’t wait till we get to college and get a good job. Once we achieve that goal, we long to be married because being single for too long isn’t fun anymore. After the excitement of marriage wears off, we desire to have a house and build a family. Then this causes us to worry about our finances and look forward to the day we can be free from burden of debt and financial obligations. The babies we were so looking forward to having, now we are tired of their dirty diapers and their constant interruption. We look forward to the day they can be at school all day, so we can regain our freedom and our time! This is how our lives continue to go on with hopes of being in a different season.
Is it possible that all of life on earth is a mirage of true life? Is it possible that we will never become fully satisfied on this side of heaven by trying to acquire and achieve one more thing? Could it be that the more tightly we try to squeeze everything out of life, we actually lose our peace? We allow the joy of the moment get snatched out of our hands leaving us unfulfilled and empty all over again. Is it possible that only with the heavenly focus that we expect less of this world and enjoy more contentment in life?
