Have you ever wondered if life is meaningless? Thought what’s the point? Why do we keep doing this? What am I working so hard for?
This is something that I have often wondered. I am not down or depressed. I truly love and am extremely thankful for the life I have been blessed with. However, I just cannot help but wonder what is the point of all that we do. While studying recently I ended up in Ecclesiastes and it opened my eyes to something that has helped me see what makes life meaningful.
Now you would assume, as I did, that the Bible would have many examples that show you that your life is very meaningful. While that is true, the book of Ecclesiastes takes a different approach. It starts out saying in chapter 1 verse 2 ‘’Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”’(NLT)
It is shocking to read such a harsh message as the opening of a book in the Bible. This goes against what, many if not all, Christians believe. We tend to believe that our lives are very meaningful. However, you must keep reading to understand what the author is saying. For instance, a few verses down the author tells how he believed that gaining wisdom would make his life meaningful, but he later learned that chasing wisdom is like chasing the wind (Ecc. 1:12-18). Wisdom is something that many people in our society chase. We believe that knowledge can solve all of our problems. When in fact we can never have enough worldly knowledge to solve any of our true problems.
When he discovered that wisdom would not make his life meaningful he turned to pleasure. He looked at what he believed to be the “good things in life”. Like laughter and wine, but found those things to be silly and meaningless (Ecc. 2:1-3). Some people claim that the Bible is outdated, but this is just as prevalent today as it was then. Laughing and drinking are everywhere you look. Whether on TV or in a conversation we are lead to believe that laughing with friends and consuming alcohol will make you happy. What happens when the bottle is empty and your friends go home? Sadly you will find yourself feeling more meaningless than you ever have before. Laughing is a good cover up and alcohol can sooth for a time, but these things are only temporary cures to issues that you must address with the only one who can make you new.
If wisdom, laughter, and alcohol could not make your life meaningful then what could? Maybe building multiple homes and accumulating great wealth? After gaining more than any other who had lived in Jerusalem before him, he found that nothing was worthwhile. In our culture, we are taught from a very young age that a person’s value can be measured by the number of houses, money, or cars they have. By having it all you can never feel like your life is meaningless, right? The world’s yours, you can do anything and everything you want. More often than not this turns out to be completely false. While the rich have the ability to do anything. They often feel they can do nothing. With a quick search online you can find many cases where the wealthy people say they are unhappy and find little meaning the things they have.
The Bible has a lot to say about having riches stored on earth, for instance, Matthew 6:19 says:
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:”
We must remember that the things of this world will not last and they will not go with us to the next life. We cannot focus on obtaining greatness on earth to only find we have nothing in Heaven.
So if these things will not give us a meaningful life then what will? First, we must realize that as Christians we can never be fully satisfied with the things of the world.
Ecclesiastes 1:8 “Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are never content.” (NLT)
When we only see and hear the things of this world we can never truly feel as though our lives are meaningful. We must instead turn our eyes and our ears to the things of the Lord. Our focus needs to shift from earthly things and ourselves to Holy things and others.
Finding true meaning in life without prayer is impossible. Prayer is our lifeline, we can pray about or for anything. God is always available and will never turn you away. In Luke 18 Jesus speaks a parable teaching that we should always pray and not give up. First Thessalonians 5:16-18 teaches that we should pray without ceasing, giving thanks in everything because it is the will of God.
Prayer gives us not only the ability to focus on God and take our needs before the Lord but also to put others before ourselves. Praying for the needs of others can give your life more than enough meaning. I would even be willing to say that by praying for the needs of other you would begin to forget to question the meaning of life. As humans, we are not able to solve all the problems our brother and sisters have. God, however, has the ability to solve any problem no matter how small or large it may seem.
The greatest way to find the true meaning of life is to bring others to Christ. This does not mean that we must all stop what we are doing to become Preachers or Evangelists. That is not what God has planned for everyone, but we are all meant to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether that is through your testimony, inviting friends and family to church, or any mixture of those and many other things. We are taught to share our faith all throughout the Bible and to not be ashamed:
Philemon 1:6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
2 Timothy 1:8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.
John 20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
So is life meaningful or meaningless? I would have to say life is very meaningless if the focus is in the wrong place. Focusing on the world and setting yourself above others will only cause your life to become meaningless. This can be a pleasurable and easy way to live your life, but one day you will leave this world with little, if anything, to show at the judgment.
There is good news though! You still have the ability to turn from those things and give your life great meaning. Shift your focus to God and put the needs of others before the needs of yourself. Your life will begin to turn from the meaningless to the meaningful. This is not to say that you have to be perfect at all times, we all fall and have to get up again and these are not the only changes you can and need to make in your life. But when you put your faith in God and turn from the ways of the world your life will change forever and you will never have to worry about feeling meaningless again.
When you live your life with meaning for God, you will find on the judgment day that a place has been prepared for you in Heaven.
John 14:2-3 “2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
Thank you for reading!
Our hope for this post is that it helps you understand how to have a meaningful life. If you are wondering if it all is just meaningless and want to know more specific things about how to make life meaningful, we would be happy to answer any questions you have. We are not pastors or Bible scholars. We are just normal Christians trying to do our best to live for God, spread His word, and encourage others. Don’t forget to check us our on social media. We are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Youtube. If you would like more faith-focused posts, click here. Again, thank you for reading! God Bless!
