“When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind…” Ecc. 2:11

Solomon had it all – power, prestige, pleasures, prosperity. Yet, in the final analysis he concluded that it was all “meaningless”. Why would he say that? Because he understood that every human being has limitations and inadequacies that cannot be fixed by any of these things. As the wisest of men, he learned that only one thing matters – “to fear God and keep His commandments.”

Little has changed since Solomon’s day. We foolishly pursue what can never satisfy, only to discover that the feelings of emptiness, loneliness and inadequacy still persist. Nothing alters that fact that our physical, emotional, relational and intellectual limitations are real. Man’s endless pursuit of wealth, fame or pleasure as the antidote for our limitations, ends in the realization that the road is a deadend. As hard as we try, the realities of disease, aging, depression, grief, fear, betrayal, and ignorance, to name a few, are outside our ability to control.

FANNING THE FLAME
It is foolish to deny our limitations. No matter how much we try to pretend otherwise, we ultimately discover, like Solomon, that we are NOT the masters of our destinies. When all said and done, the things we strive for and the dreams we pursue are all meaningless when they are disconnected from a relationship with God, our Creator, who alone is the source of all meaning and true peace. Let’s make sure we are doing a good job of communicating this truth to our grandchildren. Send your comments about practical ways you are doing that with our grandchildren.