Hope in Meaning

All too often, we all fall into the "Life sucks, then you die" mentality. And unfortunately, this is one destructive phrase to be basing your thoughts off of. Sometimes, when something bad happens, we just think that hey, that's what life's about--pain, with the occasional smile. But nothing adds up. It's all just a circular motion of things messing up over and over with no clear reason. So we sigh and just try to fix what we can. Why? For an attempt at smiling again. Everything turns into man-focused attempts at happiness. In my experience, it's not the most satisfactory way of living.

Let's face it: Almost everything we do is for ourselves. We work to gain money so that you can buy ourselves more things. We sit and watch television so we can gain entertainment. We go out and get together with our friends so we can mess around and talk. Is there anything inherently wrong with this? Of course not. But when our lives start to revolve around pleasing ourselves and we forget about the things that leave a lasting mark on our lives, then we have a problem.

I often hear people ask, "What's life all about, anyway?" It's an interesting question. I haven't yet found one definite answer. Solomon has some interesting things to say about it in Ecclesiastes:

2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless."

3 What does man gain from all his labor
at which he toils under the sun?

4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.

5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.

6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.

7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.

8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.

9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

Throughout the rest of the book, he goes on to talk about how everything, including wisdom, pleasure, toil, folly, advancement, and riches are all meaningless. He seems to admit to the fact that there's no real reason for anything, nothing new ever happens, and all of life is just a reoccurring cycle which leaves no room for imagination or differences. If we look at the sixth chapter, we see that man can have anything on earth that he wants so that his heart is completely content--but if God does not enable him to enjoy it, it's completely meaningless. In fact, he goes on to say that a man with the inability to enjoy his own prosperity is worse off than a stillborn child. Frankly, it's all rather depressing. It sounds like there really is no purpose to life, and all we're doing has no meaning whatsoever. And honestly, that's how it is. For some.

The last part in Ecclesiastes ends with a summary of the book, written by another author.

13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.

As we look at the book altogether, it's spelled out pretty simply: There is no meaning away from God. Without His salvation and His life in you, there is no purpose or truth. Everything is empty actions or feelings, not leading up to anything greater.

However, if we look at other verses in the Bible, we see over and over that God has a purpose in what He does.

10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance. (Psalm 33)

8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands. (Psalm 138)

He always fulfills His purpose. Furthermore, it stands high above man's.

21 Many are the plans in a man's heart,
but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19)

If we look back to the sixth chapter of Ecclesiastes, Solomon voices his own thoughts again,

7 All man's efforts are for his mouth,
yet his appetite is never satisfied.

8 What advantage has a wise man
over a fool?
What does a poor man gain
by knowing how to conduct himself before others?

9 Better what the eye sees
than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless,
a chasing after the wind.

What are we living for? Ourselves. What should we be living for? God. What are we striving for? Temporary happiness. What should we be striving for? Eternal life.

When it all comes down to it, there are two separate choices. We can live for man or God. Granted, living for God results in pain. Jesus clearly states in the gospels that Christians will be rebuked. It's a task. But its results are promised to us in Revelation.


1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 22)

Living for man can get you as much earthly happiness as you want. But the inability to enjoy it. Life without God is worse off than the life of a stillborn child. Solomon wasn't describing the life of Christians. He was describing life of death.

So what's life all about, anyway? The pursuit of happiness? I think not. Learning how to smile? No. Life is about learning how to cry, but knowing that beyond the tears, we are living for something greater. To live for the world is to live for death. To life for Christ is to live for life. There only seems to be one logical choice.

Life sucks, then you live.