Where meaning is found

As I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

DID

you know there’s a conference dedicated to boring stuff? It’s called, appropriately, the Boring Conference. It is a “one-day celebration of the mundane, the ordinary, the obvious and the overlooked.” James Ward, the creator of the blog “I Like Boring Things,” launched the conference in 2010, after the sudden cancellation of the “Interesting Conference.” In the past, speakers have addressed seemingly meaningless topics such as: sneezing, sounds that vending machines make, electronic hand dryers, and inkjet printers of 1999. Ward says that the topics are boring, but the speakers can take a seemingly meaningless subject and make it interesting by talking about it with passion.

Solomon discovered that no matter how passionately he pursued accomplishment and pleasures (Ecclesiastes 2:1-10), nothing could satisfy but God. Despite his attempts at enthusiasm, everything seemed “meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:11). He pursued both the exciting and the mundane—bought flocks and built wealth, acquired singers, and built buildings. Some of his pursuits were honorable and some were not. But, in the end, he wrote: “Everything is meaningless . . . completely meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 12:8).

So what will satisfy in life? “Here now is my final conclusion,” the wise king wrote. “Fear God and obey his commands” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Sometimes life might seem meaningless to us. When we find ourselves in the blahs, we should look to Jesus who has given us life to the full (John 10:10). As we’re led by and filled with His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), He empowers us to worship our amazing God, rejoice and give thanks to Him (Philippians 4:4), and display the fruit of true joy (Galatians 5:22). That’s never boring or meaningless!