life is meaningless (?)

Last week, I decided to stop ignoring Microsoft’s notifications that my Hotmail was running out of storage and decided to declutter an email account I created in 2008. It wasn’t as simple as I thought, as the user interface could only load 70-100 emails at a time. This meant having to manually delete almost 2 decades of emails – or buy more cloud storage from Microsoft. So, after setting few parameters – like displaying only emails with attachments from 2023 and earlier, I slowly began deleting thousands of emails.

As tedious as that activity was (definitely NOT what I would have liked to do on my day off), it took me down a very long memory lane. With every batch of emails I deleted, it felt like rewinding my life and being reminded of people, places and events I had long forgotten – for better or for worse. Some were emails related to important projects – a major building project at my previous Church, a town-wide Christian unity event, exchanges with our solicitors concerning Charity registration etc. Others reminded me of important leadership meetings, university assessments, contracts of former employees and Covid furlough payments. However, a few more reminded me of very unpleasant events, emergency meetings, disputes and very nasty words from not-so-friendly individuals.

As I scrolled through all those fragments of my past, I couldn’t help but notice how things that felt incredibly important and pressing at the time don’t really matter as much today (if at all) and will be quickly forgotten. Not necessarily because they weren’t important – because they were, but because very few things in life can survive the test of time and provide lasting meaning and purpose to our labour. I was reminded of the words of King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes: “I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.” (Eccl 1:12-14).

I must confess that, for a brief moment, I questioned the value of my 16 years of full-time ministry – with all their blood, sweat and tears! But as I considered all the memories brought up by those emails, the Holy Spirit helped me understand that in life it doesn’t really matter what we do, but who we do it for. For, at the end of the day, Scripture tells us that no matter what we achieve, no matter what we build, this universe will be remade: new heavens and a new earth for a new eternal existence with God. In that future life, very little of this present life will matter except that which we can take with us into eternity. For our reward will not reflect what we have achieved in itself, but whether or not we have lived in obedience to God – doing what he says rather than what we want, pursuing him rather than our often selfish goals. This is exactly what Solomon, in all his wisdom and frustration with earthly living, concluded. As he wrote in the last two verses of his book, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear [i.e. “respect” or “honour” not “be afraid”] God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl 12:13-14).

I find this thought very liberating:

1. Firstly, putting God first in our life simplifies decision-making. I don't have to wreck my brain trying to identify the right direction for my life. I simply need to learn to discern his will for the next junction of my life - which is far easier than people think, and then follow it through (no matter how scary or seemingly senseless it may be).

2. Secondly, an eternal perspective on our daily living should help alleviate the fears, pressures, and anxieties associated with many of the challenges we face. No matter what they are, in the grand scheme of things, they will probably matter very little – if anything at all. So why should we let them dominate our hearts and minds?

3. Thirdly, understanding that obedience to Christ and his will is all that matters in life brings an elegant simplicity to life. Our eyes should not be on the ever-changing present or the uncertainty of our future, but rather on what the Lord will have us do today, which, most generally, is all about loving him and loving others. More specifically, it is about honouring God in whatever life throws at us.

   
   

Take, for example, Ruth – whom I mentioned in my message last Sunday. Her plan was never to become a young widow without children and to be left alone with her mother-in-law. Likewise, some of us would never wish to suffer through cancer or go through a miscarriage. Similarly, it was never my mother’s dream to spend her retirement looking after a severely ill husband. Yet, even in these things, we can act in a way that honours God and pursues obedience to Him. It is not desirable (let alone glamorous!). But through it all, we will not only see God’s goodness and faithfulness in our temporary trials, but we will reap an eternal reward. Likewise, running away from responsibility or making selfish choices will leave us eternally bereft. Just ask yourself, “What if Ruth had done the easy thing – left Naomi, gone back to her family and got remarried to a Moabite man?” Nobody would know her name, her story would not be included in the Bible, and her kindness would not still speak after 2500 years. Even worse, she would not know God or be seated at his table.

Sometimes we bend over backwards to find meaning beyond ourselves, when we should simply give meaning to our circumstances by means of faith and obedience to reap present blessings and eternal rewards. “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear [i.e. “respect” or “honour” not “be afraid”] God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl 12:13-14).

Whoever you are and whatever you are going through, I pray that you will turn to God and find peace, strength and poise in the challenges you are facing. He is not far. He is right in the flames with you and, if you turn to him, he will not only lead you out, but bless you in the process and grant you an eternal reward when you're through.