Have you ever been in a rut? I mean where you feel like everyday is the same day. The only thing that actually changes are the numbers you put on paper that says date. Do you remember when you were little, most of us couldn’t wait to grow up. We had all these things we were going to do.
For some of us, we were going to be a policeman, or an astronaut, a doctor, the president, teachers, or I guess even a fireman. We told ourselves we are going to stay up late to finish watching TV, eat ice cream for dinner, or travel to far away places.
Then we grew up.
Some of us went to school, some got jobs. We tried living our best life, but the years just kept ticking away. We started losing that passion and zeal that we had as a child. Life started beating us down. We tried staying up late, that just left us tired. We tried eating ice cream for dinner, that just made us fat. We tried traveling, but apparently we need money for that.
We eventually ended up in this place where we just go through the motions. We try anything and everything just to feel excitement, and when nothing works we try again. Everyday becomes like the last, and we are no closer to joy than yesterday. Our spouses don’t bring it, our kids don’t, our jobs drain us, even our hobbies become chores.
We are in a rut.
The writer of Ecclesiastes went through this same issue. They would word it like this, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever." (Ecclesiastes 1:2-4)
The problem with life is simple, we are all searching for purpose. Some of us find purpose in our jobs, some in our family, some in our hobbies, and others are continuing to search. All of these things are good things, but they are not God things. When we worship creation, rather than the creator it creates an idol thing, and idols will never be able to support the amount of worship we give to them. Regardless of if you claim to be a religious person or not, make no mistake you worship.
Think about it, you open your eyes in the morning and reach for your phone. You have to check and see if anyone liked the pic from the night before. Maybe, you open your eyes and immediately walk to the kitchen to get your coffee to be the first into the office, so everyone may know how dedicated you are. These are all examples of our worship.
Worship is what we do, it is who we are.
What we worship, well as the same writer in Ecclesiastes found, matters. In the end of the book, the writer has been searching to fill that giant hole in his heart. He tried work, parties, family, and yet felt empty just like us. “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Want inspiration, fear God. Want to feel excitement, fear God. Want to have a fulfilling life with purpose, fear God. Now this opens a whole other blog, which is for a later time. However, fearing God doesn’t mean being afraid, it means to be in awe of who God is. It means that we understand God is for us, He desires for us to enjoy life, but since God alone authors life, He alone gets to define what life.
This is why we belong to communities of disciples. This is why we study scripture, why our hearts should align with the will of God, so that we may enjoy our lives. If you are still reading this, we would love to talk about what this does, and does not mean. Reach out, we are here for you.
Life is full of meaning and purpose, Fearing God is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7)
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