Relationships over Wind

HIGHLIGHT: Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor and this was the reward for all my toil. 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.

EXPLAIN: The writer describes life that chases after what they want and desire. There was no sense of self control. It was a see and grab kind of life. Whatever they saw, and liked, they chased after and grabbed.

The writer is writing this in retrospect. They are past a phase of seeing, chasing and grabbing ~ at least to some extent. They have come to realize that living this way is chasing after the wind. You can never fully grab what you so desperately want or desire. In the end, this life leads to nothing ~ a sense of a wasted life.

APPLY: I started out life, and I am thinking primarily high school and beyond, wanting three things: a dog, a recliner and a jeep. I have had all three. I still have a recliner and a dog (that's a whole different blog) and there is no jeep in sight anymore. Am I thankful that I had/have these? Absolutely! Did they bring a smile to my face? Yes! Do they matter as much now? Not at all.

I have come to realize that the greatest things in life are actually relationships. True - I want health and some money to take care of myself and family. However, it kind of goes back to what my wife and I said at the beginning of our marriage: we don't have much, but we have each other.

Relationships are critical to life. During the pandemic of 2020 and beyond, we hid ourselves behind closed doors. I am not saying that we shouldn't have. However, we forgot the importance and vitality of relationships. We chose physical health over mental health. We allowed people in nursing homes to die in loneliness. There was even a moment when I took my wife to the hospital, thinking she may have COVID-19, and they wouldn't let me in. She survived, and I was able to watch through the windows for a short time, but I would have traded my life to be with her in those moments. Why? relationship.

The greatest of relationships is with Jesus. He is the one that give us life. He is the one that brings purpose and meaning to us, and helps us to forget the emptiness of chasing the wind. Besides, he controls the winds!

RESPONSE: Jesus, help me to value people over property. May I prioritize my relationship with you in order that the value of all my relationships here will skyrocket in value.