Have you noticed something about us? We are very difficult to satisfy!
When we are young, we want to be older. “I can’t wait until I’m 18!” Then when we get older, we start looking at old pictures and say, “Ah… I wish I were 18 again!”
When we don’t have money, we say, “If only I had more money, I’d be happy.” Then when we finally have a little more money, suddenly our needs also become more expensive!
And our phones! Sometimes we say, “Father, I have no time to pray.” No time to pray? But somehow we had 45 minutes to scroll through Facebook!
Maybe Ecclesiastes would look at us and say, “Exactly! That’s what I’m talking about!” Because today he tells us: “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” He is not saying that life is useless. He is reminding us that we can spend so much time chasing things that do not really satisfy us.
So today, let me share three simple lessons.
First, everything in this world is passing.
We work hard. We build houses. We save money. We pursue positions, recognition, and success. There is nothing wrong with these things. We need money. We need to work. We have responsibilities.
But one day, we will leave everything behind.
Sometimes we spend so much of our health earning money, and later spend so much of our money trying to recover our health.
So once in a while, we need to ask ourselves: What am I chasing? And will it really matter in the end?
Second, don’t just be busy. Live with purpose.
Ecclesiastes describes the sun rising and setting, the wind blowing, and the rivers continually flowing. Sometimes our lives feel exactly like that.
Wake up. Work. Eat. Check the phone. Sleep. Repeat.
Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Then suddenly—Christmas again!
We can become so busy that we forget why we are busy. We can have a full calendar but an empty heart.
So don’t ask only, “What do I have to do today?” Ask also, “Lord, what do You want me to do with my life?”
Make time for prayer. Make time for the people you love. Help someone. Forgive someone. Do something good even when nobody notices.
Third, nothing in this world can completely satisfy the human heart.
Ecclesiastes says, “The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing.”
Isn’t that true? We buy a new phone. We are very happy. Then a few months later, a newer model comes out. Suddenly, the perfectly good phone in our hand looks very old!
That is the human heart: one more purchase, one more achievement, one more promotion, one more trip, one more scroll.
And still we want more. Perhaps it is because our deepest hunger is not for more things. Our deepest hunger is for God.
Your presence consoles
Let me end with a simple story.
A father spent most of his life working hard to give his family everything. He built a beautiful house, expanded his business, and saved money for his children.
Years later, he became seriously ill. One evening, his son sat beside his bed.
The father looked at him and quietly said: “I spent my life trying to give you everything. But now, I don’t need anything. I just want you to stay here and hold my hand.”
Final Words
Sometimes it is only when life becomes short that we finally understand what makes life precious.
In the end, it will not be how much we accumulated, but how much we loved. Not how important we became, but how much good we did. Not how much we possessed, but how close we became to God.
Everything passes.
So while we still have time, let us give our time to what will last: God, the people we love, and the good we can do for others. Amen.