I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor.
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, NIV 1984)
In 2017, Ariya Jutanugarn became the first Thai golfer to rise to No. 1 in the world at the age of 21. She’d reached the pinnacle of her craft before most people figure out what they want to do with their lives.
She’d won money titles, Player of the Year titles, and major championships. Her face was on a Gatorade bottle, and there was a movie made about her life.
Once she had it all, though, Jutanugarn wasn’t even sure if she wanted it.
“She needed a higher purpose,” Vision54 instructor Pia Nilsson once told me.
As Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:11, “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done, and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
Jutanugarn, a daily Bible reader, found that purpose in feeding and educating the impoverished children of Thailand. The higher she climbed, the more she could help.
Solomon spoke often of life “under the sun” in Ecclesiastes. What sounds like a Kenny Chesney beach lyric is actually the opposite of uplifting. It’s a life limited to an earthly view, without the will and purpose of an almighty God.
These are the fundamental questions: Why am I here? Why does any of this matter?
It’s always a good idea to go back to the fundamentals, in sport and in life, to make sure everything is building on the proper foundation.Some people, even Christians, might not have asked themselves those questions in a long time. It’s always a good idea to go back to the fundamentals, in sport and in life, to make sure everything is building on the proper foundation.
And what of those who don’t see beyond life under of sun?
Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that God has “set eternity in the hearts of men.”
Our lives, our work, must have eternal purpose. Eventually, everyone yearns for it.
I often think back to a conversation I had with a co-worker years ago on our way a tournament. I wish I could go back and have a do-over in how I explained the supernatural realm of this life and how it impacts daily living.
When is the last time you tried to answer the why for your life? How you would explain it to others?
It’s not enough to find peace and fulfillment in answering your own why. We are called to help others answer that question, too. And how we answer that question should evolve and become more effective over time as we grow in wisdom and holiness.
No amount of success can make anyone immune from asking why.
Nothing on earth can fill that void. Only God.
—
Beth Ann Nichols
January 21, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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