Do you ever wonder if anything you do has any impact? Do you ever go to work day after day and from one social activity to another and wonder “what is the point?” Do you ever get to the end of a long, busy day and sigh, wondering if you actually did accomplish anything of meaning that day?

I just finished an inductive study of the book of Ecclesiastes, which has grown to become one of my new favorite books of the Bible. It is beautifully written and paints a complex picture of what life without God would look like (sounds pretty awful, right?). One of the main reasons that I wanted to study Ecclesiastes more in depth was that sometimes I struggle to see the bigger picture/find purpose in what I do. I can get so wrapped up in the day to day that I wonder if anything I’m doing has meaning and is furthering God’s kingdom.

For context, the book of Ecclesiastes was likely written by Solomon, referred to as “Preacher” in the book. A major theme of the book is the “vanity” of life. Now you might say “Hold on. I thought vanity referred to conceit/pride and having a high view of oneself?” Well the word vanity has a different meaning in this book. Solomon begins Ecclesiastes by saying “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (1:2). The Hebrew word for vanity, “hebel,” means “vapor” or “breath.” The word vanity appears almost 40 times throughout the book of Ecclesiastes to refer to life being meaningless. Throughout the book you catch glimpses of Solomon’s frustration and sadness in everything that he does. Solomon, in the world’s eyes, had it all. He had power, wealth, all the women he could want (700 wives and 300 concubines), and access to every pleasure he could ask for. Solomon was the equivalent of the modern-day billionaire who has the perfect house, the perfect car, and the perfect family. From the outside looking in, he was successful and had it all. Yet his life was still lacking. In Solomon’s words, everything he did was a “striving after the wind.”

So did Solomon solve the problem of vanity at the end of the book? In the last chapter, 12:8, Solomon reiterates that “all is vanity.” However, he does go on to say in verse 13: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” This verse brings the focus to what our purpose in this life is: to have a relationship with the Lord and to obey His commands He has laid out for us in His Word. Of course everything we do apart from Christ is meaningless. Apart from Christ, our career, our relationships, and our hobbies don’t matter in light of the fact that “the present form of this world is wasting away” (1 Corinthians 7:31). The earth won’t be here forever, and we won’t either. We could have the “perfect” life by the world’s standards and it could still be pointless. However, when we live with an eternal mindset for the purpose of glorifying God and furthering His kingdom, life isn’t pointless; it is full of abundance and purpose.

Do you ever struggle with believing that life has meaning? How do you remind yourself that your life has purpose? Leave comments below!