"Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun"
(Ecclesiastes 2: 11).
We can’t build our lives on the results of our hard work. That is an unsteady, crumbling foundation.
Putting our identity in our work, career, success… this is a huge part of our culture! But it never actually satisfies us, and we could lose it in an instant.
Once I get ____ promotion I’ll be happy. Once I start making $___ life will be easy. If I work just one more hour today I’ll feel ___.
There might be momentary benefits, but how long are we actually left feeling satisfied? How long before we turn to the next thing?
No matter how hard we work, we are still left feeling anxious, feeling pain, feeling tired (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23)… feeling like maybe we’re missing something… maybe we need more.
We are chasing after the wind.
I loved Ecclesiastes 2. It reminds me that there is nothing I can count on except for Jesus.
There is nothing else worth chasing after.
“What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23).
Pieces and reflection from my “WHAT OUR HEARTS LONG FOR” collection.
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