I was scanning the headlines this morning searching for a blog topic: “Legislators back gay rights — and survive,” “Anti-Semitic violence on rise in Europe,” “Jan. 24 called worst day of the year,” “Bush declares cultural and religious war on world…”
As I sat there wondering what to write, I thought, Anybody can spin anything for any reason. So I’ll blog about these stories and add my opinion to the pot — Is this all there is? Why is what I have to say about it worth reading? Does anyone seek after truth? Do I? The book of Ecclesiastes came to mind.
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit. All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, there they return again.All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
One day I’ll be gone from this earth (as will all of you). What will my life mean to those born after me? What contribution will I have made? What am I doing on this blog that will have lasting meaning, if what I’m doing means anything at all?
If I’m looking for satisfaction in the mere act of writing or providing “commentary,” then it’s not enough. It will never be enough. Human desire is never satisfied. The eye will never be satisfied with seeing and the ear will never be filled with hearing. But if my purpose is also God’s, that is, to look at the world as he sees it, through spiritual eyes, I can focus on a transcendent truth that never changes as the generations pass away. All is vanity without God.
Generations before me asked the same questions and struggled with the same issues. Martin Luther probably had no idea the number of lives he’d touch by hanging his 95 theses on that door at Wittenberg and neither did the soul who sat at a whites-only Woolworth lunch counter while being spat upon and called every name in the book.
If I’m living for mere accomplishments, hoping they will satisfy me, my labors are in vain. I’ve been restless lately, wanting this thing to happen quickly or that thing to be over soon, but all I know is this:
Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12: 12-14)
I’m in an introspective mood today. Developing…
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All is Vanity for La Shawn. I know what she’s talking about. [...]
LaShawn, I’ve been feeling the same way lately and was stuck in Ecclesiastes last week. Vanity and vexation! I posted on this last week. Lately I’m all over Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, looking for the wisdom that seems to be so dearly lacking in our current day and age…
Cheer up folks we are participating in a major transformation as great as the age of Martin Luther and the moveable type. Luther was successful in his day of challenging the Pope and the Catholic Church for control of information and knowledge. No longer did the people have to rely on the clerics for interpretation of the bible and the science of the day. (Read Hewitt’s new book, Blog.)
Power to the people!
Blessed be for the Net and the Blogosphere a new emerging collective human consciousness of thought. A vast neuro net of dendritic/snyapses of intelligent cells or nodes interconnecting at an exponential rate. This net has unimaginable power for distriubutive parallel computer processing to bring online on questions of the day.
The Net/Blogos can freely transcend political boundaries and filtering of editorial/conglomerate boardrooms. The medium is essentially free and and info can flow freely based on it’s intrinsic value. Unlike the MSM which has to pander for readers/viewers to pay the overhead. This by definition sensationalizes the news. Consequently the out of perspective and proportion we see to day.
La Shawn, that was powerful.
This ties in with the overall theme of Revelations Ch 3 and in particular with verses 13-17; being hot, cold or lukewarm in God’s sight.
Martin Luther, and others who made a stand on Biblical principles left a positive lasting rippling effect on others long after they are dead and gone.
As for cold, which applies to those who serve mammom. Yes, they too, like tyrants and proactive evildoers, leave a legacy — a legacy of infamy.
Those who equivocate are discarded by history much as God spews them from His mouth. Interesting that for an example, Revelations refers to the “socially/materially” rich but morally bankrupt. The idea that a person vacillates between two polar positions (falls for anything that sounds pleasing), yet embraces neither is nauseous to Christ.
Thanks for sounding the clarion call to see what is worth seeing, to hear what is worth hearing, to do what is worth doing. God is all, and all is God’s.
LaShawn, you are not writing in vain or out of vanity. Your writing affects all of us, and we appreciate it.
WOW! Is there something in the air or the water? Minutes ago I just posted in another blog thread about Ecclesiastes 1 and vanity. Then I come here (as always) and you post about the very same thing.
I’m gonna google “vanity” and see if anyone is posting about it.
LaShawn, take heart:
Phillipians 1:6
I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
You wrote exactly what I needed to hear tonight. I don’t beleive in chance when it comes to hearing God’s Word. You remain humble- that is evidenced by the way you search your heart for it’s motives in what you do.
Like an old friend used to say, “I think you’re exactly where you ought to be”.
LB-
Your writing is never in vain. It is inspirational to all of us who read.
I guess all the brilliant minds have been introspective lately. Myself included. Max Lucado suggested taking some time all to yourself and put it all down on paper.
My introspection has me wondering if I’m just running around in circles, or really accomplishing God’s will.
Keep up the great work.
La Shawn, The words you quote from Ecclesiastes 1 ought not discourage you. They ought to encourage you. This book differentiates between those things done for worldy goals–under the sun–and those things done with eternal goals in mind–under heaven. It is things done under the sun that this book tells us are vain. Not so with things done under heaven. Reread the book with this in mind and you will see what I mean. And your quote from the last chapter is the same. It tells us that many words will be written, but in the end they will be judged by God’s standards, not the world’s.
When you write here and help another child of God conform his or her thoughts to those of Scripture you labor–as Luther did–under heaven, not under the sun. You may not start another Reformation, but nothing done under heaven is vain.
LaShawn, I often ask myself the same things you were discussing. However, my approach is a little diffferent. I grew up in a Christian home, and consider myself a Christian. But I have always had that questioning side, and I find myself also wondering “What if this Christianity stuff is all a bunch of crap? I mean, all these brillliant scientists tell me my beliefs are foolish and that we crawled out of the sludge 10 billion years ago and that there is no God, nor eternity. We die and its ‘lights out’ and thats all. Maybe man did make up Christianity so that he would have some hope as he watched his loved ones close their eyes in death! And you remember growing up hearing about how odd some of those other faiths, such as hinduism are? Christianity has got some pretty far out ideas as well! The only reason you believe in Christianity is because you had those ideas drilled into your head from day one, and now, you cannot escape it. Had you been born in India, you would feel as strongly that Hinduism is right and that all of those Christians are a real odd bunch!”
Then there is the other part of me…when I hear about someone that I have known ALL of my life, that I went to school with, that I went out drinkin with, that I smoked “that stuff” with in high school and college…and I hear that they were killed in a car wreck and I think “vanity of vanities….all is vanity. Where are they now? Right now, they KNOW what is truth! They have the answers. I wish that I could ask them a few questions now!
I know….those who read this will probably find me a little “skitzo”, but I find myself going back and forth between the 2 ideas CONSTANTLY! And I get really tired of it! I wish that I could KNOW, and not always play the “doubting thomas”.
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