Meaninglessness

“God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given to you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” 2 Chronicles 1: 11-12 NIV

Solomon asked God for wisdom when he could have asked for power or wealth. God doubled up the answer to a purely guided request by giving Solomon everything he asked for plus everything he did not ask for. I wonder why. Solomon summed up all of his searching for wisdom with “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 NIV

Unless you live under a rock, we have all witnessed the most serious football injury any of us have seen this week. I sat there in tears and I had never heard the man’s name before last night. Over and over we heard stunned reporters tell us they had nothing to say, it was meaningless.

But what did we see? I saw opponents become unified. I saw 350 pound men put their forehead on another 350 pound man’s chest and weep. I saw more than one player approach one individual who was clearly one of the spiritual leaders of the team. Tough was meaningless. A hostile crowd sat in silence until they were dismissed and then they walked out quietly. The game was meaningless. I saw a sports anchor pray on live TV today and I have never seen that before. We have all heard of a simple toy drive started prior to the game reach over $5 million when it’s goal was a mere $2,500. The goal is now meaningless, but the combined donation is certainly meaningful.

What strikes me the most is how quiet dissension became. Skin color, uniform color, job, position in life, politics, sale or no sale, hate and differences of all kinds disappeared from view. Those things all became meaningless. Why does it take tragedy to accomplish this?

Solomon summed up his search “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13 NIV. I never heard my mom or dad talk about legacy. They did talk about alignment of life. In turn, they produced the legacy neither of them realized would carry on past them – us. To honor that legacy, I do not have to live up to anything, I just have to honor God with my life, through failures, victories, highs and lows.

Our family is like most families, we have experienced loss. Friends have seen loss this week. It’s hard, but not meaningless. I can work my fingers to the bone and not accomplish one meaningful thing. But life lived in alignment most definitely matters. It matters how we live.

My life can point to God, however imperfectly I live. So can yours. My parents labor on this earth was not wasted, it lives in me because they pointed me to God. Our labor on this earth is not required, but it is not wasted. It lives on in our kids if they honor God’s commandments. Your labor on this earth is certainly not wasted if you love God and keep His commandments. It’s exactly what your parents wanted.

Did your parents think about their legacy? Did they teach you to honor God?

Do you think about your legacy? Do you teach your children to honor God?

Challenge: Life is hard sometimes but beautiful most of the time. You may not be a king like Solomon, but God’s wisdom is available to you and on display through you.

Rick Claiborn