June1, 2011 Some thoughts

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: "meaningless! Meaningless!"says the Teacher, "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.

I grew up reading this in King James" English, and I must admit, it was a discouraging passage, at least then. I have come to understand it is all about perspective. All of life is about perspective. Here in the USA, we think we are owed good housing, food, schooling, roads, access to medical care, and I could go on and on. From our perspective, in this First World world of excesses, our norm is more than much of the world could dream. Still, whatever we have, we see and seek the more that surrounds us.

However, every year immigrants pour through our borders seeking a better life than the one they leave behind, believing they will find it here, believing the mantra of "work hard and you can achieve anything in America." And they do work hard, many many of them, working hard to send money back home...(I wonder if they have read Ephesians 4:28)

Meanwhile, never satisfied with what we have, we always want more and better. From their (the immigrants) perspective, we are a nation wealthy beyond belief while in our cities the doorsteps spill over with a population devoid of vision, of drive, buried in the ghetto of their hopelessness, the dead dreams of those who live all around them. So we build bigger and better and newer, and from time to time, put money in the Benevolence Fund or drop a check in the mail to help the poor, money we probably will never miss, walking over the "less fortunate."

When I think of all is meaningless, I think about the perspective of eternity. All my shoes, all the technology in my world, all the food in my cupboard, the dollars in my bank all are really meaningless because I will not take them with me when this life ends.

Every THING is meaningless, not every person or every life is meaningless. It is the lives of people that matter. It is as I serve people that my life has meaning. It is those hours of joyful sacrifice that will furnish my mansion or room that John speaks of, the place where I will dwell forever.

I have discovered that no matter what I buy or am given, tomorrow will start with another shopping list, and shopping lists never satisfy because the perspective is one of immediate gratification or satisfaction. When I live from an eternal perspective, what matters is what I buy with my time. Is it souls? Is it the fulfillment of my brother's needs? Is it the healing of a broken heart? Is it a moment's peace for a hurting friend? It is the immaterial that has meaning. As Solomon reviewed all of his wealth and possessions, he recognized the emptiness wrapped in silks and gold.