Vanity of Vanities

You might be wondering where the title of our blog came from. A couple years ago I met a gentleman at a camp conference. He was diagnosed with stage four cancer and had battled for so much longer than he should have. Dale spent some time talking with me processing about what it is like to live with a major medical disease. His wisdom and grace was so encouraging. Later that conference Dale spoke to the entire conference and talked about his journey. About halfway through he said,

"Though we're walking through the valley of the shadow of death, & there's monkeys and dragons on the sides of that valley trying to distract us & rob us of our joy, as we abide in Him every day, every day is filled with joy. This moment right here is filled with peace, fellowship, & rejoicing-every day is lived in high-def."

The last couple weeks Kendra and I feel like we have been living life in high definition. The glory of God has never been clearer, His hand has never been more evident, and our marriage more sweet. We are riding a tidal wave of God's grace and the prayers of saints and friends.


I was reading Ecclesiastes this morning and it made more sense than ever. Solomon talks about how futile all his efforts were to satisfy his own soul. He tried wealth, building cities, women, everything and in the end nothing satisfied. It is all vanity to him. At the end of chapter 2 however Solomon comes around and explains living in High Definition.

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25  A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?

This is vastly different from the old saying, "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die". Solomon's goal is to enjoy every day for it is given by God who gives good gifts. How much time do we waste worrying about life's insignificant trials? The assignment at work, the jerk on the highway, getting laid off at work, not getting the raise you expected. We waste time and energy focusing on these things. Kendra and I feel like we have been stripped of everything insignificant. Our focus is on Christ, and then each other and our family. We are committed to taking advantage of every moment we have, such as to appreciate each other or share the truth with a stranger.


What are you wasting your time and energy on? Better yet, are you intimidated and awestruck by the Glory of God the Creator of heaven and earth? If you are everything else will pale in comparison to dwelling in His presence.