The book of Ecclesiastes
seems to be very apropos for this season in our world. Several verses have
stood out to me in my reading this week:
“For everything there is a season, and a time for
every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die… a time to weep,
and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance… a time to embrace,
and a time to refrain from embracing” (3:1-5 ESV).
“Vanity of
vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils
under the sun?” (1:2-3).
“Then I considered all that my hands had done and the
toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving
after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun” (2:11).
This is a time when many
things are being stripped away. Perhaps we are learning what is vain and what
really matters. Perhaps we are finding out what actually forms our identity. If
we find our meaning in our careers, what happens when we can’t go to work? If
our value is in our achievements in education or sports, who are we when we can’t
do those things anymore? Even if we find our identity in our relationships, as
valuable as those relationships are, where do we turn when we lose them?
It’s not surprising that people
turn to drugs, alcohol, pornography, or other addictive behaviors to try to
fill the holes or at least numb the sense of loss. We all like to avoid the difficulty
of realigning our worldview when everything familiar and comfortable is taken
away. It’s painful to discover that the things we placed so much value on can
disappear without notice. And most of us have lost multiple things we valued. A
video I watched described it as a kind of culture shock. We have to adapt to a
new way of life while also mourning the old way.
While many people view
religion as a crutch or a fantasy, those of us who do have faith understand it to
be a different perspective on reality. While the world focuses on the here and
now and each person is looking out for their own interests, we Christians
remember that this world is not our permanent home. We look forward to the day
when all things will be made new and we’ll no longer have to live in a world
broken by sin. We still mourn the things we’ve lost here, but we do not mourn
as those who have no hope for eternal life. If this world is indeed all there
is then indeed “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians
15:32). But if there is more to come, we should “be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor
is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).
Will we realign our priorities
according to the world’s constantly changing standards or according to God’s standard?
Will we find our identity in things that will eventually fall away or in the One
who created us and gives us eternal life and value in Christ?
“Remember
also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come… and the
dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it…
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man” (12:1, 7, 13).
© 2020 Dawn Rutan.
Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The
opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.
