(Posted by Steve Davis on behalf of Doneva Walker)
Ecclesiastes; such a wonderful book of the Bible. To be honest whenever I read my Bible I always skip it…that along with Numbers. I’ve just recently read it in its entirety. Ecclesiastes seems like one big contradiction but once I realized that the author is just trying to make a point I relaxed. Then I said “wait a minute” because now it seems like the most depressing piece of writing I have ever read. By this point I’ve already read it from beginning to end and I’m angry that I wasted time that could have been used to procrastinate. But if you just look a little bit closer, the book of Ecclesiastes is a warning to which we must take heed.
The purpose of Ecclesiastes is to bring a person closer to God. With God in your life everything falls into place and everything begins to have meaning. There is no longer a need to find things to fill the gap because with God every purpose is fulfilled. Many people go searching for something to fill this void. Sometimes they end up doing good for others. Sometimes their plans for a sense of satisfaction crash and burn. At no time do they truly succeed if they do not stop searching in vain and start searching for God.
Immortalized, Christopher McCandless made such an impact on people’s lives that there are articles, a book, and a movie all about him and his journey. In 1990 McCandless donated $24,000 to a charity and embarked on various adventures such as hiking and backpacking. He prided himself in not carrying the necessary equipment needed for trips such as these. IN 1992 McCandless set out on his “Alaskan Odyssey” where he planned to live a life that was more spiritually enriched. With little knowledge of the Alaskan wilderness he died of starvation after 112 days.
Why then are people in awe of this man? Why do the laud him as a saint? “He gave so much” people say. Sure he gave money to charities and loved helping others but what good is it now that he’s dead?
The sentiments of Ecclesiastes can be found in many songs but they usually don’t have the hope that Ecclesiastes offers. Many songs are so depressing they cause you to stare at the wall thinking to yourself “Why?!?!” Linkin Park’s “song “In the End” describes the feeling of everything being futile. The lead singer screams “I've put my trust in you/Pushed as far as I can go/for all this…I tried so hard/and got so far/But in the end/It doesn’t even matter” The person in the song has put their heart and soul into everything they do but at the end of the day they conclude that nothing they did was worth it. The main problem was them trusting in someone other than God and expecting favorable results. It always comes back to making God the center of your life.
I cannot stress enough the importance of having God in your life. I’m not saying that all your troubles will disappear or that you will suddenly be perfect but through all the trials and adversity there is no question of your actions worth.
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