Vanity is what life is. The book of Ecclesiastes portrays this truth so well! Everything is vain; you never know what is going to happen; if your efforts are going to pay off; and if fruit will come from your work. But in the midst of so much uncertainty, one thing we should remember is that just as we do not know the future, we do not know either what God is doing. Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us that His thoughts are not as ours but, rather, are higher. Jeremiah 29:11-14 assures us though that God IS at work in our midst!
One thing we do know and can rest in is that God is a righteous, holy Judge. Instead of letting the "vanities of life" lead us to apathy or sin, we are to live fully -but with eternity in mind. "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are not seen are eternal" (II Cor. 4:18). Since we are human, though, it is difficult to be eternity-minded. So the main "guideline" or question to ask ourselves through our daily lives is based on Eccle. 12:13-14: am I fearing God? am I keeping His commandments? Or, as Micah 6:8 puts it, am I seeking justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God?
This is the secret to finding meaning in this very vain, quickly fleeting life. Even though everything is vanity, the eternity-minded Christian sees the long-lasting purpose in living fully for the things unseen: "because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth." -Eccle. 12:8-10
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