A Meaningless Life

“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 2:8

Do you ever read a verse in the Bible and go “WOAH, like…I actually relate to that!”?

So I read this verse the other day and it really struck me. A lot of times in my life I have wondered if what I’m doing is really worth anything. I have done some pretty trivial things in my life, blowing them all out of proportion in my head, just for them to not work out. I focus my time and energy on things and end up with nothing in the end.

I think that whether we seem to have achieved anything at the end of a particular journey is the motivation behind it. I’ll give you two examples from my own life. (Yes they will be cringy but hopefully you can relate better haha)

Example A: In middle school, probably the most awkward time of most people’s lives, I really wanted to be friends with this one person, so I went to great lengths to try and do whatever I could to connect with her. I went to embarrassing lengths, to be honest, and now I regret that. She ended up not really realizing that I wanted to be friends with her, after all that, and eventually we both just moved on. My motivation behind wanting to be friends with her was not really that I cared a lot about her, it was more that I really wanted to have that person as my friend because it would open up doors for me and because I wanted to be more like her. In the end, I was left with really nothing to show for my efforts.

Example B: For several years, I knew of a family going through a really rough time. I gave whatever I could to them, knowing that they probably couldn’t even give me much appreciation in return. I cared very deeply for them and I knew that what I was doing to show them love, even if it might have seemed “over-the-top”, was what God wanted me to do. In the end, I really have nothing to “show for it”, but I still know that I did what was right and I feel like I did gain some things: compassion and understanding, to name a few.

I think it’s important to frequently check in with yourself and see what your motivations are behind your actions and pursuits. Sometimes the motivation starts off as good, but turns more selfish as you go along. Other times it’s the opposite. But if you want to live a meaningful life, you should have self-awareness and listen to the sometimes unconscious realizations of your heart, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. If you are beginning to feel like you are really just being nice to a person because you feel like you have to or you want something out of the relationship, then you should change your mindset. If you feel discouraged because you have been showing God’s love to someone who is not reciprocating, remember that you are still doing the right thing and eventually you will reap the benefits of these actions. If nothing else, you will have become a better person. But also make sure to surround yourself with people who care about you and fill you up, too. It’s easy to become drained when constantly pouring out but never getting poured into.

A lot of people worry that at the end of their life no one will really remember them or their accomplishments anymore. Honestly, if you weren’t the leader of a country or the face of a movement, that’s quite likely, at least eventually. But the thing that really matters is how you impacted others and how you felt at the end of your life. Did you do what God was telling you to? Did you make other people feel like they belonged? Did you notice that one person who needed a friend and loved on them?

Take the time today to think about what you want to have said yes to at the end of your life. Use today to be the day to make that yes an honest one. Every day that you are here is for a reason, and if you use each day of your life, then you will never regret a single moment.