Vanity of vanities

https://odb.org/2024/01/02/the-son-also-rises

Life, as we know, it is, in a way, meaningless. We are born, and our parents raise us up. We go to school, then later to university (some straight into the workforce after school). We learn about life in school and mix with our friends. Celebrate birthdays. Go through things we fear, like seeing the dentist or sprinting. For the former, everyone shudders when the nurse comes to class and starts calling names. For the latter, I recall that running even 100m was daunting when I was 7 or 8 years old. 400m was quite impossible. Later, we enter the workforce and work until we retire. We fall in love and get married. Have children of our own. We bring them through the same process.

In the midst of living, crisises occur every now and then. As an example, I remember the first time I met an accident with my new car, at a roundabout in Subang Jaya. I was so focused on clearing the roundabout that I forgot the car in front had not yet moved and knocked straight into it. There was no damage to that car, but my bumper dropped down. Had to claim insurance as I didn’t have much money then. Made a police report. In our early work days, we didn’t have much as we were just starting out. We have to count every penny and make every ringgit count.

One day, our children will go through the same process. One day, we will become old, and our turn will come to leave this world even as we attend more funerals than weddings as we grow older. The question is, what is life all about? We live to only exist? We have dreams and aspirations. We achieve those dreams and aspirations. Is that life? An endless cycle of births, living and dying? I guess in that sense, we are better than animals, some who live just to be food for others. Yet is this life?

The conclusion Solomon made (believed to be the author of Ecclesiastes) is that life is indeed vanity of vanities (meaningless) if lived without God. God gives meaning and purpose to our lives as we live a purpose-driven life. A life lived to fulfil His plans and purposes for our lives. A life lived in fulfilment of His calling for us.

Everyone aspires to live a better life, but we live within òur means. With God with us, we find contentment with life. There are others worse than us and others better. It doesn’t matter so long as we are living in the fullness of His will. There is equilibrium when we live in the centre of God’s purposes. That is why John the Baptist declared that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus came and made it possible for the Kingdom of God to penetrate into the natural that as believers, we became the Kingdom of God.

The icing on the cake is that we also have eternal life. We will get to live in the fullness of His will forever and ever in the new heaven and new earth. Jesus will return for His bride. It is believed to be within this generation. We need to quickly find our purpose and call in God and live life in equilibrium.

Blessed New Year, everyone! May 2024 be the turning point in our lives! May we find our true self in God and excel at becoming the person God had always wanted us to be, even before the foundations of the world!