The vanity of life has a solution

Solomon, a very wise man, wrote Ecclesiastes, a lament on the vanity of life. He was rich, with great power, unlimited wealth, a huge mansion and many loves. He had done it all, but when reflecting on his life, he said that none of it gave the satisfaction that he wanted. His attempt to explain this mysterious, bewildering, uneasy,  hoping, fearing, dreaming, dreading, waiting thing we call life came up empty, at least empty apart from God.

Paul observed the people of Athens groping for the same answers. They had built an altar to the “unknown God” but still could not explain the mysteries of their lives. Paul said that God did this…

…that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us… (Acts 17:27)

Phillips Brooks writes that Paul’s words to these people are words also to all people. We are restless, always at the edge of something that we cannot quite reach, always on the point of grasping something that eludes us and haunted by something that makes it impossible to settle down into absolute rest.

He says that the answer to our unease is the presence of God. He is Immanuel, God with us. His very presence will not let the human heart find peace in anything less than Himself. Some say we have a God-shaped hole inside us, one that cannot be filled with anything else. Before that empty space is filled, His presence, although not far from us, will not let us be at peace. That sense of always wanting an elusive something cannot be satisfied until we respond to the invitation of the Savior.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. (John 7:37)

All across the centuries, Jesus offers that rest, and offers it still today. Those who stop their pursuit for something to fill that hole in their hearts long enough to think seriously about it might ask, “If He is close to me, separated only by the thin curtain of my blindness, wouldn’t that explain the ache in my life?”

This is that everlasting question, the one Solomon asked and the one that haunts every human being. What else can explain this mystery, the why of life? God gave life to all and remains close to all, yet is unable to give the answers to all because we block those answers.

Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’” (Jeremiah 6:16)

“Not far from each one of us” is the secret of this vague unease of life. Human beings are sinful and weak, all of us. The problem is refusing to acknowledge God and live with Him. His nearness will not let us be at peace in our sin and weakness, but peace, forgiveness, cleansing, and even power can belong to all who open their heart and let Him in. 

Seeking Peace

When we were children, my sister and I invented a sign language so we could talk in front of our brothers without them knowing what we were saying. It almost always provoked them to anger. When my children were small, the daughter in the middle knew how to get her two brothers to fight with each other, then sweetly watched as they were punished for something she started.

Sibling mini wars are only one kind of conflict that require two or more for a fight. Married couples, business partners, admin assistants, charity group executives, or any other pair or group of people have the potential for turmoil among them.

As my devotional reading for today says, a fully peaceful relationship cannot be one-sided. It takes two to strike a peace accord. Nevertheless, God says,

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. (Romans 12:18)

This means that I must do my part to make sure that I am doing (or stop doing) whatever is necessary to get along with others. Am I willing to give up my wants and such things as the desire to “one-up” someone, or to get even when I am wronged? This is key to obeying this verse.

Jesus knew how to do seek peace. The crowd tried to make Him a king and He managed to vanish rather than argue with them. They wanted to kill Him and He slipped from their midst rather than being in the middle of a conflict. At the end when they decided to kill Him, rather than fight back, “He committed Himself to the Father who judges righteously” and said, “Not my will, but Thine be done.”

There are some issues worth fighting for, or as a friend says, some hills worth dying on, but these must be carefully chosen. What is worth risking a relationship? I am standing firm for something God would battle for, or is this just a personal I-want?

Most situations with the potential for conflict are like that because I want something. It might be the distinction of being right or to have the last word. However, I realize that short of compromising the Word of God, I need to go to any length to build peace, even with those who want to go to war with me.

I can at least refuse to fight, but to do that I need to set aside all grudges and bitterness or any other demands for my own way or personal rights, just as Jesus did. What was His secret? I think He sought peace because He knew who He was and the truth about everything. He had nothing to prove and no axes to grind. Instead, He forgave His enemies and gave up His life so those who hated Him could be reconciled to God.

Jesus was not a pacifist; He knew when to stand up and demand righteousness, but He was also a peacemaker and never provoked others to fight, nor did He relish conflict. If anyone hated Him and was at odds with Him, it was their own sinful attitude, not that He had done anything to warrant it.

By observing Jesus, I know that seeking peace means giving up power, control, pride and my rights. This is also about refusing to insist on anything, but instead trusting God who knows all things and can make all things right.