Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure. For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.
-Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 (NKJV)
-Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 (NKJV)
Grasping for the wind; have you ever tried to catch the wind in your hands on a windy day? Try as you might, the wind cannot be contained in your hand; it is futile to try. Solomon’s pursuit of pleasure was unmatched; he did not deny himself any desire but indulged in every delight of this world. At the end of a lifetime of living after the desires of his flesh, with what does he equate his riches, his extravagant life? He equates it all with grasping for the wind; it’s all vanity, futile, hopeless, and worthless.
The other day as I was reorganizing the kid’s playroom, I was struck by the abundance of toys they had accumulated over just the past year from birthdays, Christmas, etc. At that moment I was taken back to my childhood. As I reflected back, I remembered a little red, white and blue toy box in our living room that housed all of our toys. Every toy that we owned (outside of the outdoor sporting equipment) was located in that modest little toy box and yet, I don’t recall ever really wanting more. I have such wonderful memories of my childhood, none of which involve a particular toy. In fact, a regular occurrence and one of my best memories was playing capture the flag outside with the neighbor kids which required the use of an old t-shirt that had been torn into rags.
We live in a culture today that encourages us to indulge our fleshly desires. The Law of Attraction, an overwhelmingly popular idea that would have you believe that you can attract anything you want into your life; anything your heart desires can be yours. So what, what if it’s true? What if you can attract everything your heart desires, what if you can possess it all? What then? Will you ever be satisfied, will you ever be content? When our focus is on the pleasures of this world, we are never satisfied, we are never content with what we have; there is always something newer, bigger, and/or better on the horizon. Solomon had built himself houses, planted vineyards, made himself gardens and orchards and water pools, acquired servants and singers and musical instruments of all kinds, gathered for himself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and provinces; he had more herds and flocks than anyone else in Jerusalem. (Ecclesiastes 2:4-8) Yet, at the end of his life, Solomon saw it all for what it is; vanity, empty.
This world is filled with people grasping for the wind and it is easy to become one of them. It is time for Christians, starting with me, to stop buying in to the wisdom of the world, it offers nothing. We must start relying on the wisdom of God and His Word. We are called to be salt and light, isn’t it time we stopped grasping for the wind with everyone else? “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)
The other day as I was reorganizing the kid’s playroom, I was struck by the abundance of toys they had accumulated over just the past year from birthdays, Christmas, etc. At that moment I was taken back to my childhood. As I reflected back, I remembered a little red, white and blue toy box in our living room that housed all of our toys. Every toy that we owned (outside of the outdoor sporting equipment) was located in that modest little toy box and yet, I don’t recall ever really wanting more. I have such wonderful memories of my childhood, none of which involve a particular toy. In fact, a regular occurrence and one of my best memories was playing capture the flag outside with the neighbor kids which required the use of an old t-shirt that had been torn into rags.
We live in a culture today that encourages us to indulge our fleshly desires. The Law of Attraction, an overwhelmingly popular idea that would have you believe that you can attract anything you want into your life; anything your heart desires can be yours. So what, what if it’s true? What if you can attract everything your heart desires, what if you can possess it all? What then? Will you ever be satisfied, will you ever be content? When our focus is on the pleasures of this world, we are never satisfied, we are never content with what we have; there is always something newer, bigger, and/or better on the horizon. Solomon had built himself houses, planted vineyards, made himself gardens and orchards and water pools, acquired servants and singers and musical instruments of all kinds, gathered for himself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and provinces; he had more herds and flocks than anyone else in Jerusalem. (Ecclesiastes 2:4-8) Yet, at the end of his life, Solomon saw it all for what it is; vanity, empty.
This world is filled with people grasping for the wind and it is easy to become one of them. It is time for Christians, starting with me, to stop buying in to the wisdom of the world, it offers nothing. We must start relying on the wisdom of God and His Word. We are called to be salt and light, isn’t it time we stopped grasping for the wind with everyone else? “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)
COACH'S CALL TO ACTION
- In what ways have you been grasping for the wind in your life?
- What would it look like to stop grasping for the wind?
- What steps must you take to have and keep your focus on the eternal?
Copyright © 2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.
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