Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…
“Then I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.”
“Here is my final conclusion: fear God and obey his commandments, for this is the entire duty of man. For God will judge us for everything we do, including every hidden thing, good or bad.”
Ecclesiastes 2: 11; 12: 13-14 (The Message)
Solomon was supposedly the richest, wisest, smartest, most influential man in all the world at that time—and probably even by today’s standards. And he gets to the end of his life and says—
“Then I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.”
Here’s another view of what Solomon is reminding us—that the “success” that society talks about which lies in the things of the world, in the things we do and achieve, the stuff we acquire—is nothing. And then concludes that “significance,” the “real meaning” in life, lies in the things of God, in who we are inside.
And that critical difference between the two creates a tension and conflict within us, between following the ways of the world or the ways of God. And when the ways of the world are going well we seem to be fine. We may not notice if we are doing what He wants us to do, or not.
Things are going along well, we’re winning, and there are no problems in our family or careers. But when adversity hits, when we lose, when we hit a losing streak in the world, how are we then? Our response will usually tell us if we are aligned inside with God, and what God says is important in our lives.
Just about every worldly measure of success is based upon what we can accomplish—how much money we make, the house we live in, the car we drive, and what ladders of success we climb. In sports it’s measured in how many games we win, the championships we achieve, and trophies we accumulate.
We are an “accomplishment-oriented” society. Doing great things wins the prize; while being a person of significance, following God’s direction, often takes the back seat. Having an impact in the lives of others takes a back seat to winning an SEC championship, or any game, to a society whose values are based upon doing, achieving, on trophies and awards.
Solomon gets to the end of his life of worldly success and says that doing all of those worldly things, is all “smoke and spitting into the wind. It is not what is most worthwhile.”
Tony Campolo, pastor and professor emeritus at Eastern University in Pennsylvania says we’ve switched the price tags in society. We have it all backwards. We place what is least important before what is most important, because it brings us fame, glory, power and wealth. Whereas, God never measures us by doing, or acquiring or status, but instead by the character of our insides, by the state of our heart.
Is it important—what we do? Yes. But what is far more important is who we are, and is far more difficult, or impossible, to measure by the world’s standards.
By focusing on and emphasizing “who we are” deep down inside, and moving toward becoming all who God wants us to be, instead of measuring ourselves by “doing and achieving”, we begin to live a life of significance and impact that Solomon learned at the end of his life was the real pathway of a life of meaning.
And when we learn that, we begin to live a life that will carry us through those losing streaks or moments in life. We begin to find direction and meaning for those times when we come up short of expectations, and also to live a life which will give us the strength and peace to live within God’s overall plan for our lives.
And with a life of significance, focused on who we are, we will always find the strength through God to move on—no matter what happens—with confidence, and with peace and hope through that day and into the next day.
In His Name—Scott
Copyright 2016. Scott L. Whitaker. All rights reserved.
