Luke Scallon
Pastor, Faith Baptist Church of Danville

Published in The Des Moines County News on June 9, 2016

Get up, go to work, come home, go to bed, repeat.

Or maybe… feed the kids, do the dishes, break up fights, feed the kids, do the dishes, scold the kids, clean up messes, feed the kids, do the dishes, collapse into bed.  Repeat.

Whatever your daily routine, after awhile, everything can start to feel predictable and almost mechanical.  We fall in line with habits of maintaining life, simply surviving from day-to-day.  Tirelessly working our jobs to bring home the next paycheck, only to have to earn the next one.  Striving for a clean house, only to come to the next mess.

What is it all for?

Solomon had this same question:  “What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:3).  He goes on to talk about the routine of the sun, wind, and water.  His conclusion?  “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).  In other words, all of life is empty and meaningless.

It’s important for us to pause and reflect, to ask these questions, and examine: what is the aim of my life?  How do I know if my life has meaning, if I am successful, if what I do even matters?  I hope you find the intended meaning that Solomon came to in the end of Ecclesiastes:  “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

It starts with our relationship with our creator.  Fear is that proper relationship.  It means that we have a respect for God that understands that he made us and we belong to him.  Therefore, we must follow and obey him.  Thankfully, he brought us into a special relationship with him through Jesus, who died to forgive our sins if we trust him.  This is the foundation of meaning.  Because we have a good and loving God who knows us and wants us to know him, we have meaning in everything we do.  Let me encourage a two-part response.

First of all, we must recognize there is great meaning in the little things of life.  We tend to look on major events or accomplishments to measure success.  You don’t have to be famous or break records to be successful.  Thank God for the day-to-day things in your life!

Second of all, there is something more to pursue.  Am I satisfied with the simple status quo?  Am I content to live and then die, going through the motions of life in between?  How can I make a lasting difference with my life?  There are many things I can do!  Investing in my children is a special God-given purpose that can go a long way.  I can befriend someone new, or help a neighbor, or take time to notice and care about someone.  I can work hard to know God and make positive change in my life.