"What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest." Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 ESV
Solomon wrote the words in these two verses towards the end of his life, when he realized how much time he had wasted seeking worldly things. Earlier in Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 14 Solomon refers to this as "striving after wind." This king who had been given wisdom and wealth beyond compare had spent much of his life chasing the things of pleasure and power, and if it was some sort of surprise, he never found any satisfaction in any of it. It proved to be empty.
The great coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry once said that football was his god before he began to follow Jesus Christ. It was his top priority, and his family was further down the list. When he became a Christian his priorities were completely redefined. He often said that after he began his life with Christ that his family became a priority to him and football wasn't his main focus anymore. He was still a great coach but his family and his faith ranked higher on his list.
That is a much more fulfilling way to live. Relationships are always more meaningful than any activity. The most important relationship we can have is with Jesus Christ and the next is with our family. Nothing is tougher than looking back and wishing you could step back in time because you realize that your life has been misspent. The only way to prevent this is to invest our time into things that are worthwhile. Just like Solomon, we will realize that we spent a lot of time striving after the wind and neglecting the things that would have mattered much more.
Trust me when I tell you this: We all have pressures and things that pull us in 9 different directions. We all have responsibilities that we can't ignore. If I have learned anything over the last year and a half, it is that I have to carve out time in my busy schedule and life for my family. I have to slow down and savor every single moment that I have. I have learned the hard way that it all can be taken away in the blink of an eye. One minute you are a husband and a father and the next you're not. One minute you have a great job the next you are wondering how you will pay the house note. One minute you are laughing with your grandfather the next you are carrying his casket to his final resting place.
In the last year and a half I have learned to examine my priorities often. I have to order my life according to what really matters. I have spent much of my life on meaningless things. I have chased a dollar, chased the new cars, houses, clothes, and other things that I will never be able to take with me and that can't love me back. But like me, you can realize that it is never too late to change directions and adjust your life to a new set of priorities. With the help of Jesus Christ you can adjust your view and live a life that is well spent.
Solomon wrote the words in these two verses towards the end of his life, when he realized how much time he had wasted seeking worldly things. Earlier in Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 14 Solomon refers to this as "striving after wind." This king who had been given wisdom and wealth beyond compare had spent much of his life chasing the things of pleasure and power, and if it was some sort of surprise, he never found any satisfaction in any of it. It proved to be empty.
The great coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry once said that football was his god before he began to follow Jesus Christ. It was his top priority, and his family was further down the list. When he became a Christian his priorities were completely redefined. He often said that after he began his life with Christ that his family became a priority to him and football wasn't his main focus anymore. He was still a great coach but his family and his faith ranked higher on his list.
That is a much more fulfilling way to live. Relationships are always more meaningful than any activity. The most important relationship we can have is with Jesus Christ and the next is with our family. Nothing is tougher than looking back and wishing you could step back in time because you realize that your life has been misspent. The only way to prevent this is to invest our time into things that are worthwhile. Just like Solomon, we will realize that we spent a lot of time striving after the wind and neglecting the things that would have mattered much more.
Trust me when I tell you this: We all have pressures and things that pull us in 9 different directions. We all have responsibilities that we can't ignore. If I have learned anything over the last year and a half, it is that I have to carve out time in my busy schedule and life for my family. I have to slow down and savor every single moment that I have. I have learned the hard way that it all can be taken away in the blink of an eye. One minute you are a husband and a father and the next you're not. One minute you have a great job the next you are wondering how you will pay the house note. One minute you are laughing with your grandfather the next you are carrying his casket to his final resting place.
In the last year and a half I have learned to examine my priorities often. I have to order my life according to what really matters. I have spent much of my life on meaningless things. I have chased a dollar, chased the new cars, houses, clothes, and other things that I will never be able to take with me and that can't love me back. But like me, you can realize that it is never too late to change directions and adjust your life to a new set of priorities. With the help of Jesus Christ you can adjust your view and live a life that is well spent.
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