A Meaningful Life

There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from Him? For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

Life can seem futile, even wise Solomon said that. It can be so incredibly hard and hard to enjoy. And we make it worse when we think we can build happiness without God, using our own mind and resources. But even our talents are His and are useless without Him at the wheel. We were never intended to be independent from Him and despite how much we think we know or how much He has gifted us already, we will fail if we try. 

If you're anything like me, you have tried to build a life of happiness on your own and have realized the err of those ways. All of the things I have tried on my own have failed and proven futile. Putting my hope in myself nearly ruined my life. And it's not because I am a "loser", but because I tried to do something apart from the Source, my Creator. 

Unless we're walking with Him, we won't know the bounds of which we can enjoy life to the fullest because, like little kids, we either sit and mope over what isn't going our way or we get so excited that we walk right past the playground and into the street. Our sight is so underdeveloped that we miss the blessing right out in front of us, right in the moment. We miss the value in the little moments of life, which really are the big ones.

Beloved, God wants us to savor every moment and find many opportunities to celebrate because He also celebrates. But because the things of this world are temporary, we need Him to make everything we do meaningful. When we persist in building a life without Him it will prove to be a waste in the end, futile. When we let Him lead, our work will carry forward beyond us. Whatever you feel led to do, let God stay in the lead. Let Him determine the path. The long way is definitely the most rewarding one.