ARE YOU USING THE RIGHT MAP?

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit. All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again. All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after.

-Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 (NKJV)

There is nothing new under the sun…we still see the same sin, the same corruption, the same desires of the flesh, the same wickedness today as thousands of years ago recorded in God’s word. When you look at life today and then, what is different? Yes, on the surface the world today looks very different, but when you look deeper; beneath the surface to the heart of man, there is nothing new. Solomon, like so many of us today, had devoted his life to the pursuit of pleasure and riches only to discover it was empty; there was no fulfillment in it. Here he was near the end of his life looking back at a life wasted chasing after worldly pleasures and realizing all is vanity when you lose sight of God.

A few years ago, I found myself feeling empty and unfulfilled in my job, my marriage, and my life. I was working sixty to seventy hours a week and when I was home physically; my mind was still at work. We had just moved in to a newer, larger home; I had just received a promotion at work; I had a loving husband who did more than his share around the house; and I had two beautiful, healthy children…but there was an emptiness inside of me. On the surface, I had everything, so what was missing? While I didn’t know it at the time, God was the missing piece. I was empty and unfulfilled because my life was lacking real purpose without God. I was searching for the treasure of fulfillment but I had the wrong map! I was running around in circles, lost and not knowing which way to turn. However, God is faithful and as He revealed Himself to me and drew me closer to Him, I realized that fulfillment didn’t come from a newer, bigger house; my job or a promotion at work; or even my family. Fulfillment comes from God and living your life for Christ.

So often we strive for bigger, better and more in life; hoping the void we feel inside will be filled. The only way to fill that void; the only way to truly experience fulfillment is with Christ at the center of your life. I used to tell myself, “If I can just get through this week, it will be ok; everything will be better.” One week turned into a month which turned into a year until several years had passed me by, wasted. I am so thankful I didn’t waste any more of my life searching for the treasure with the wrong map. The true treasure is Christ and the map is God’s word. Are you searching for the right treasure? Are you using the right map?

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• What is the treasure you have been seeking after?
  
• What treasure map have you used to guide you to your treasure?
  
• How will you know when you have found your treasure?

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