It’s all meaningless…without Christ
Ecclesiastes 6
“1There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity. 2 God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy.
3 A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead. 4 His birth would have been meaningless, and he would have ended in darkness. He wouldn’t even have had a name, 5 and he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man. 6 He might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment. And since he must die like everyone else—well, what’s the use?
7 All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough. 8 So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?
9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
10 Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.
11 The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?
12 In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?”
C, C, and H,
One of my hopes and desires is that you grow up with an endless and relentless desire to be the best that you can be and tap into areas of potential that you never thought possible. Whatever your mountain top, I hope you reach it. I’ll be cheering for you the whole way.
I’ve been chasing my own mountain top experiences in this life…I’ve even summited a few already. The most obvious might be watching all three of you being born and holding you close for the first time. I’ve also found success in my work, found favor with both my bosses and also those who work under my leadership and to date I’ve been blessed to rack up a series of accomplishments I’m very proud of and that have provided well for our family. In fact, just this past week, I recognized a great accomplishment at work…another mountaintop moment.
BUT - be ware of the illusive mountain top…here are a few things I’ve learned that you’d be wise to discern for yourself…
There’s always another mountain - I’ve yet to climb a mountain top in my life only to realize there is another one just across the way that also needs climbing. While a relentless pursuit of being better and accomplishing great things is admirable (critical in fact to living a successful and productive life) don’t forget to stop and enjoy the view of your most recent summit. This life is exhausting and full of responsibility, demands and things that must get done. When you get the WIN - celebrate it, relish in it and be grateful for it. You’ll make it to the next mountain in due time. By recognizing that there will always be more to do, we can find balance in enjoying today while being consciously aware and prepared for tomorrow’s challenge.
Our greatest spiritual vulnerability is at the top of the mountain - The moments of greatest desperation and prayer in my life were never when I had just summited the mountain and felt like I had “enough”. The Bible says that it’s harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. How can that be? Well, the temptation is to allow the resources that God has blessed us with to cloud out our greatest need…intimacy and relationship with our heavenly father…the provider and supplier of all we have (James 1:17). Paul says in Philippians 4 that through Christ he learned how to find sufficiency in both plenty and little. In my experience, I’ve found it much more difficult to consistently find my meaning and worth in Christ (which is what he desires) in the moments of plenty and the mountain top summits. As you achieve and reach new heights in your life, always remember where it comes from…God. You do the work, the Lord provides as he wills. Have an open hand, be generous and be on watch. It’s often in our greatest moments of achievement that Satan is looking to take you out.
Enjoy it while you have it…it all goes away in the end - The only thing that lasts in this world are things of eternal significance. So, over index there on how you spend your time and resources. Everything else will pass away (Mathew 6:19-21). The cars you drive, the homes you buy, the gadgets and trinkets you collect, the money you make…it all goes away in the end. Your cars will get old and worthless, someone else will live in your house, the gadgets and trinkets you collect will one day hold no value to others and the money you work so hard to earn will be enjoyed by someone else. Don’t be like the man in Ecclesiastes 6 who gets it all but can’t enjoy any of it. Make the most of the moment, spend the money you make on the things that matter most to you, appreciate the blessings and as much as possible, be in the moment. We only get one lifetime (and we aren’t promised tomorrow) so make the most of today. Give love freely, spend the extra time with your kids and eat slow enough to truly enjoy the flavor in that meal with your best friends.
Be wildly generous - If you want to make the most of your effort and hard work, give away as much as you can. When you spend your time, your energy and your money on things that matter to and benefit others, you get to be a part of a beautiful double blessing. That is, where God has richly blessed you from what he has and now you get to bless someone else with what you’ve been given. Two things I’ve found to be true when you are radically generous….1). You never run out. It’s incredible how God has shown me his faithfulness in being a generous giver. He just somehow always provides. 2). You wind up over indexing on the “things of eternal significance” side of the balance sheet…and that’s a wonderful place to be.
In summary, go chase your dreams my beautiful children. Work hard, live with passion and go after everything that God has laid out for you. Live with no regrets, shoot the shot, take the bet, think big and find that next level that you didn’t think was possible. And as you do, remember that everything we have comes from God and his perfect favor, wisdom and sovereignty over our lives. Be on watch that as you achieve great things you continue to find your reliance and significance in Christ. Never fall into the trap that “YOU” made it happen. Enjoy every moment and be generous with what you have. These are the keys to a winning life and if you can get this right, I’m confident that you’ll find success, enjoyment, meaning and purpose in all that you do.
Love you,
Dad
