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…All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3; 8, ESV)
“He did not say that! Did he?’ The commentator burst out in disbelief after hearing the older Tour Player say, “I quit; this game is just no fun anymore. I cannot keep up with these long knockers.”
It is safe to assume that, at least occasionally, many of us can relate to this pro’s verbal tirade. For some of us who are a bit “longer in the tooth,” this game does not provide the same level of satisfaction that we once enjoyed.
The ball does not carry like it used to, our irons are not as crisp as they once were, and we work hard to hide the yips. When the orthopedist says, “Your rotator cuff is torn,” you wonder, “Are my days playing golf over?”
There are occasions, rarer than they once were, when the “strike” brings back a million fond memories, the pitch lands exactly where we intended it, and the swing goes straight to the finish effortlessly.
We held a raffle at a recent Links Fellowship to kick things off. More than anything, it was just for “kicks and giggles.” The facilitator introduced the three items as “age-appropriate” gifts: Aleve, Liquid IV, and Voltaren (arthritic cream).
“Enough is enough with all this age-related joint pain discussion,” you say. “Let’s be optimistic,” someone argues. Another voice from the back of the room opines, “Age is just a number!” Ok, Socrates!
We don’t want to be pessimistic or naively optimistic; instead, we aim to take a sustained look in the metaphorical mirror, assess where we find ourselves on the age continuum, and evaluate our SQ—our Satisfaction Quotient. In short, are you deeply satisfied with your life?
The writer of Ecclesiastes reasons from exactly that perspective. He is an older, wiser sage who has tried everything imaginable—knowledge, pleasure, vineyards, architecture, possessions, entertainment, concubines, and more—to find lasting satisfaction in life without God and has failed! That’s what “under the sun” means.
This inspired-by-the-Holy-Spirit author is writing to the next generation to say something like the following:
Try to squeeze the good out of life without prioritizing a vital relationship with your Maker, i.e., “life under the sun”—and you will wind up disillusioned, cynical, and deeply dissatisfied with your brief life.
On the other hand, he would say, “Prioritize a relationship of affection and adoration with one’s Maker and find meaning, joy, and lasting satisfaction in all the good gifts he intended you to enjoy.”
As N. T. Wright argues, “The things to which human beings give mistaken allegiance are not, in and of themselves, bad. The evil consists in human misuse of creation, not in creation itself.”
Unfortunately, many have misinterpreted the author of this profoundly wise book, claiming that life lacks meaningful satisfaction. The argument implicitly goes like this: “Since our ultimate goal is to arrive in heaven, any attempt to enjoy earthly pleasures is a waste of time.”
This fallacy of equivocation conflates “our ultimate goal” with “our only goal.” This mindset drives a wedge between spiritual and physical realities, both of which represent “the good things” that come down to us from the Father above.
Ecclesiastes is written to overcome the “secular-sacred split.” Let me explain: when grace comes to a man or woman, creaturely goods (natural, earthly, and physical realities) find their rightful place in our lives.
Sports (including pickleball), fine arts, fine dining, scientific discoveries, marital intimacy, gardening, wealth management, leadership development, health care, leisure, and more should be recognized as gifts from the Father to cultivate for His glory and the good of humanity.
As C. S. Lewis aptly said, “Aim at Heaven, and you will get earth thrown in; aim at Earth, and you will get neither.” Lewis does not suggest that our earthly life is unimportant; rather, he stresses the importance of subordinating our various earthly passions to our chief passion of knowing and walking with Christ Jesus!
Love Jesus, love his good world!
Prayer: Father, teach us to first quench our thirst for satisfaction in you and then enjoy relative satisfaction in your good gifts.