Ecclesiastes 1:3-5
NIV
What does man gain
from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and
generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and
hurries back to where it rises.
What Should You Do Next?
At the age of thirty-two, I came to a major
crossroads in my life. I was about to
graduate with my degree and because Mary Jo and I lived in school housing, we
had to move. But where? I loved New Orleans, enjoyed being close to
Mary Jo’s family. Mary Jo had a very
good job where she was successful. I
enjoyed my work as a behavioral therapist and took great pleasure in helping
rebuild broken families. There was no
reason to leave. Housing was fairly
inexpensive and we could have soon bought a nice home. We both had a wealth of great friendships and
loved our church. Yet, we both knew we
were about to embark on a new journey; the question was “What do we do next?”
Perhaps you too have felt the itch for a
change. You watch the same TV shows over
and over again. Each day you wash
dishes, take the kids places, wear the same clothes, drive the same car, arrive
at the same home and nothing much is really different. It could be that you have grown bored with
your life. You take the same route to
work, eat the same foods and wake up with the same problems. As the Bible puts it, “the sun rises and the
sun sets” and this just keeps happening day after day, year after year. You can buy new skirts, go to a different
restaurant, see a new movie, try out a new hiking trail but that does not mean
you will quit feeling like you are a hamster running on her wheel. Much of your life is repetitive and common
and you may feel tired of the boredom you are experiencing.
Solomon, the famous king of Israel struggled with
boredom too. He read lots of books,
studied plants and animals and wrote thousands of proverbs to challenge his
mind. He built gardens and homes,
acquired thousands of horses and cattle and sheep. Solomon switched religions and got married
over and over again just to fight the monotony.
The wealthy king had the finest chefs at his disposal and could buy
anything he wanted. Here is a summary of
Solomon’s quest for deliverance from the hamster wheel.
I undertook great
projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all
kinds of fruit trees in them. I made
reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other
slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than
anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed
silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired
men and women singers, and a harem as well — the delights of the heart of
man. I became greater by far than anyone
in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I
refused my heart no pleasure. My heart
took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 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. (Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 NIV)
So there you have one of the wealthiest people of
all time unable to overcome the boredom of life. The Bible is filled with examples of those
who thought a change was needed. David,
perhaps tired of conquering nations decided that at the age of forty or so that
he would try conquering another man’s wife.
Moses at around one hundred years old acquired a new wife. Jacob at sixty quit working for his
father-in-law and packed up his family to start his own business a hundred or
so miles away. David certainly made a
wreck of matters by committing adultery and having his lover’s husband
killed. Moses certainly did not help his
marriage any taking on a second wife and perhaps it worked out for Jacob
breaking away from his father-in-law but what we have noticed over the years is
that regardless of what changes you make, if you are the same person after the
changes, then whatever irked you about life will return, perhaps even worse
than ever. It seems that whatever
Solomon did to upgrade his life wound up increasing his levels of misery.
The problem that is rarely addressed is that there
is an underlying level of angst among God’s people. Within the mass of humanity is an unexpressed
fear or doubt among many that the Lord is not good enough. What if it does not go as He promises? What if Christ cannot fix our problems, is
unable to satisfy us, won’t really make us better or our lives better if we
follow Him? The doubt that God doesn’t
live up to the hype is prevalent and is not easily overcome. Many are like the officer in Israel’s army
who when he heard that God would provide plenty of food for the people of the
city he was helping defend, exclaimed incredulously to the prophet Elisha who
gave him the news, "Look, even if
the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?" (2 Kings 7: 2 NIV)
Now we must admit that the soldier had what many would say was good
reason to discount the prophet’s words.
The city of Samaria was under siege by a great army and it was so bad
and food so scarce that the people had started practicing cannibalism. The king of Israel was equally skeptical of
God helping them. And [the king] said, "This disaster is
from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?" (2 Kings 6:33 NIV)
Few of us have been in such a terrifying spot as the
king and his officer but most Christians and non-Christians have at one time
felt the same way about the Lord’s willingness or capacity to help. “Does the Lord really love me?” “Will He do anything to help me?” In a world that is wrecked by Sin at every
level, it takes courage to trust God when so much is bad and really bad. People are cruel to each other, calamities
occur that are not rational and the natural order is filled with evil and
death. No one can say that everything is
sweet and comfortable because it isn’t or if it is it won’t always be. The natural response to the troubles and
hardships in this world is to look for a change that we manufacture. We move.
We buy something. We find
entertainment that distracts us. We
medicate. Recently I saw in the news
that a fifteen year old girl left her home to join a violent street gang that
is known for its corruption and cruelty.
The girl was beaten, tortured and stabbed to death by members of the
gang she hoped would make her life better. How can you explain such
misery? It is a broken world and what
will a funny movie do to alleviate that?
Can a new pair of sneakers make you feel really good when you are
fighting with your husband?
It is true that you may need a change but why not
let Christ be at the center of your change. The Gospel of Luke has a beautiful
little side note that provides us with insight into our need for change. After
this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming
the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some
women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene)
from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of
Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support
them out of their own means. (Luke
8:1-3 NIV)
What a lovely example for us all. These women had been broken. Some, like Mary Magdalene, had suffered from
demon possession; others from diseases. They
could have been bitter over all they had suffered in life. They could have built their lives without God
because it might have seemed to them that He had let them down and put them
through so much. Instead, the women gave
themselves over fully to Christ because of how He remade them and filled them with
goodness and peace. In addition, they
found ways to help finance the ministry of Jesus and the disciples. These women
certainly needed a change but the change they made was to devote themselves
more fully to Christ and the Kingdom of God.
It was in Christ that they discovered life that was meaningful and
filled with purpose. They no longer were
hamsters trapped on a wheel.
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