My Source Of Meaning In Futility - The One Year Book of Hope

My Source Of Meaning In Futility

“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “utterly meaningless! Everything is so weary and tiresome! No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.” –Ecclesiastes 1:2, 8

David, Matt, and I went to Santa Fe, New Mexico, over the holidays last year. We read about the art, culture, shopping, and skiing, but we went to an expert to learn about the dining. I called my college professor Mike Flynn, who spends lots of time in Santa Fe. He gave us his top restaurant choices, and we ate our way through the list! His experience made him a credible source for advice.

The book of Ecclesiastes allows us to consult a credible source on finding meaning and purpose in life, as it was written by a man with extraordinary wisdom and extensive experience. King Solomon went on a search for satisfaction. He sought satisfaction through pleasure, but found it empty and fleeting. He tried philosophy, but it ended in confusion. He pursued wealth, and even though he was the wealthiest man alive, he found what he had was never enough. Solomon’s journey toward fulfillment left him deflated, depressed, and disillusioned. And we know what it feels like, don’t we, to have high expectations for life and to be continually disappointed?

As our credible source who tried everything, Solomon reported that life is meaningless, that seeking satisfaction in this life is “like chasing the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14). “Here is my final conclusion,” he said. “Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). As I read these words, I feel a sense of relief that in the absence of meaning in earthly pursuits, he found it in pursuing God. I can do that. And yet I’m uneasy because I know that I can never fear God fully. I can never obey God completely. I need more than earthly wisdom and more than expert advice on life. I need a Savior. My only hope is to hide myself in the One who fears God perfectly and obeys completely. There’s a reason our lives on this earth are so devoid of purpose and meaning. It sends us searching and leads us to the One who not only saves us, but satisfies us. Nothing under the sun satisfies, so heaven came down to earth. In Jesus we find our salvation and our satisfaction.

My Meaning for living, everywhere I turn I come up short. The emptiness of it has left me disillusioned and disappointed. But I see that is exactly where you want me to be so I will see that you are my only source for satisfaction. You are my only Savior, and you are enough.

DIGGING DEEPER