Chasing the Wind
“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him, who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” Ecclesiastes 2:24-25.
“Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good- do not all go to the one place?” Ecclesiastes 6:6
I recently read Ecclesiastes and found myself focusing on these verses. Out of context, of course, this could be taken as enjoying life physically, but when you read the chapter in its entirety, you find King Solomon is talking about a state of mind. See, God created the world and made it beautiful to reflect His glory. Do you ever catch yourself in awe of a sunset or suddenly feeling peaceful before the ocean? Enjoy it, be present, let your heart be moved. Whether it’s in your job, in your personal life, in your everyday moments- be present. Don’t waste this beautiful life God gave you complaining, being negative, being angry, and filling yourself up with feelings that do not come from God (Galatians 5:22-23). Experience moments; don’t just move through them mechanically without finding any joy. Just started a new job and feel immediately stressed? Have patience, let yourself learn, and let God grow you in this uncomfortable position. On the opposite spectrum, have you been working at the same job you hate for years and long for something else? Leave it, look for something that gives you purpose, a mission you can work at with eagerness. Do something about your words, don’t just point out problems without seeking a solution. Do things with intention, speak them with intention, live them with intention. When you don’t, you’re not living your life to the fullest potential that God created you to. God did not make you to be a shadow sailing through this meaningful life He designed you for and gifted you with.
Ecclesiastes 6 speaks on not enjoying or appreciating moments, reminding us that we all eventually die and a life unappreciated is a waste of the gift given. I think sometimes people see happiness as a constant state to force themselves to feel and therefore they are always chasing the next “high,” the next temporary feeling that makes them feel happy in that moment. Yet, moments fade and then you are left still empty, still looking for the next thing. Happiness is not so much a continuous feeling, but a mindset. Gratitude and appreciation lead to contentment. When you are content and at peace with life through Christ, you find joy. Everything eventually gets old, everything eventually becomes routine, but just because it does is not a reason for panic. Too many people chase the temporary not realizing that the temporary will also become “the regular” one day. It’s a choice, it’s a state of mind. That’s why the verse says, “for apart from him, who can eat or have enjoyment?” When you place your life in God’s hands and trust Him, you feel thankful, you feel content, you feel taken care of knowing your God in heaven has your back. That love brings joy and a peace beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7). A life without God, a life without hope, is just robotic movements with no purpose, no focus, and will always leave you feeling hungry for things that will never make you full. In every moment, live to glorify God and reflect who He is. When you rest everything in God’s hand, you will see God’s hand in everything.
However, too often people confuse “living your best life” with self-focus instead of focus on God. King Solomon refers to living a life of vanity and self-gratification as “chasing after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 2:26). Though intriguing and tempting, it ultimately reveals itself to hold no depth beneath the surface, as solid as the wind. You don’t have to tidy up before coming to God. Come as you are wherever you are and He will meet you in the middle. But, you do have to make a choice and after making the decision to let Him lead your life, let your actions speak just as loudly as your words. “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” John 15:4. To abide in God is to set Him as the focus of your life. To dwell in God is to follow his commandments, to honor Him with your life. It’s not because you have to, but because you want to, because that desire for obedience stems from love. With the Spirit of God in you, you will produce the fruit of the Spirit (which Galatians 5:22-23 refers to as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.) You can’t serve the world and God. You can’t nurture a relationship with God while also nurturing a sinful lifestyle. You can’t serve two masters. Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” It’s a constant war between the flesh and the soul because the flesh longs for sinful gratification while the soul longs for the One who created it. Mark 8:36 says, “For what good does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” It’s not easy, but when you rest in the Lord, He gives you the strength you lack. There is power in His presence, there is power in His name. If you need help, just ask God for it. Matthew 19:26 says, “With man, this is impossible, but all things are possible with God.”
Does that mean you simply ask God for something and expect it to happen within the week? No, it’s a process. A process begins not simply with a desire to change but putting forth actions to set that change into motion. It requires trust, self-control, patience, and determination. James 2:14-26 talks about how faith without works is dead, which means if you say you believe in something, but do not act on it or your actions show otherwise, your words hold no weight. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also,” James 2:26. A process requires time. A metamorphosis is never quick, but revels in its duration, in its purpose. Things done with intention that produce substance are not rational afterthoughts, but carefully measured and molded by their lifespan. That’s why when a person first becomes a Christian, they will still find themselves going back to old habits or facing the same situations. It doesn’t mean you’re failing, it means you’re human. Don’t give up, keep trying. The beauty is in the perseverance, in the continual attempt/endurance. It’s a process, it takes time, and it requires effort. It’s a choice, not just in the sentiment of a Sunday morning, but every day, in every situation, in every aspect, and in every way. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth.” We are in the world, but not of the world. To set your mind on things above is to set your eyes above culture, above status, above the world and on things of the spirit. Not on the temporary, but on the eternal.
Life is meant to be lived with intention, with purpose, with love, and when you are deeply rooted in Christ, it brings about a joy and a peace that is present in the daily.
