The following was a part of my morning devotion/reading for Monday, May 25, 2009. This is a “reflection” written by a faithful servant at Ginghamsburg Church. Ginghamsburg has a great on line devotional called the “Transformation Journal.” To see more–go to www.ginghamsburg.org/tj
“Chasing After The Wind”
Ecclesiastes 2:10, 11 (TNIV)
I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
And this was the reward for all my toil.
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.
REFLECTION:
Have you ever reached a goal only to realize you’ve been chasing after the wind? I reconnected with a longtime friend at a baby shower. One of her previous life pursuits had been as a bodybuilder/figure model (a female Arnold Schwarzenegger, only much prettier!). I asked if she planned to return to it now that she’d had a baby.
“No,” she said. “That was something I did out of my emptiness. It wasn’t healthy for me to pursue because of who I became while I was doing it.” She’d captured the essence of the book of Ecclesiastes in that one comment and left me with the haunting question: What goals am I pursuing out of my emptiness? Are there goals I am pursuing that change me into someone who would not be pleasing to God?
Through the years I’ve invested time, money and energy into a host of hobbies, career paths and life goals. Reaching some have changed who I am and how I respond to the world in a good way. Others have left me with a burden of guilt: what did God have for me to accomplish that went undone while I chased after that particular gust of wind? My friend’s comment is a good starting point before I head down yet another Godless rabbit trail.
I don’t want my life work to culminate in a cry of “Meaningless! Meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). I want to hear instead, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your Master’s happiness” (Matthew 25:21).
My friend is wise beyond her years. She may never again compete for a bodybuilding title, but she’ll have more precious rewards and treasures. Where are you chasing after the wind? How can you make changes to allow God to direct your course?
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, have Your way with my life. Help me to throw away selfish, empty pursuits and to chase after Your dreams and plans for me. Forgive me for the meaningless pursuits of my past. Let my future be for Your glory. AMEN.
CONTRIBUTED BY: Kate Johnsen
This was a great reflection. I love the phrase Kate uses “a Godless rabbit trail.” How many of us have “Godless rabbit trails?” Trails and trails of going nowhere. The best way to avoid “Godless rabbit trails” is to first commit our plans to God… (Proverbs 16:3).
With all of that being said, keep in mind our lives have various seasons (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and we all play different roles in each of the seasons. The bottom line is God wants us to keep the focus on him regardless of the season or role. He wants us to bring “God meaning” to every season we go through whether it be as children, as married couples, as single adults, as workers, as bosses, as co-workers, as professionals, as parents, as grandparents, as great-grandparents, as coaches, as mentors, as friends, etc…having “God meaning” can happen anywhere at anytime.
I also believe we can bring “God meaning” to our hobbies. In the reflection above, Kate’s friend shares her discouragement about how her hobby simply filled an emptiness and had no meaning. If we have God at the center of everything we do, then even our hobbies will have “God meaning.” With that being said it is also important to make sure we don’t miss seasons. I’ve seen people creating endless rabbit trails of nothingness, while they miss out on some very important seasons in their lives. You only have one shot at raising your kids or being there for your grandchildren etc..
So many people get hung up on whether or not what they are doing is what God wants them to do. God simply wants us to bring others to Jesus and he really doesn’t care how we do it. That is why Solomon tells us to “commit OUR actions to the Lord and the plans will succeed.” Commiting is one thing but trusting and having faith is another; we need to read and believe the words of Solomon in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
Living a “God meaning” life is a process, it is not an event.
(Today is Memorial Day in the United States. As Americans it is important to prayerfully reflect upon and thank those who’ve given their lives or have put their lives on the line in order for us to live in freedom, a freedom that allows us to unapologetically proclaim Jesus as Lord. It is amazing to think that Americans only make up 5% of the world population while the United States is considered by most to be the most powerful nation in the world. My guess it has a lot to do with our founding fathers not being afraid to include God in on the founding principals of our great nation…they gave our nation a “God meaning.”)
P.E.A.C.E.
