Thursday, July 5, 2012

Read Ecclesiastes 1

Ecclesiastes 1: 14
I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind. NRSV

Traveling on the bus yesterday morning I read a line in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude which forced me to stop my reading and reflect on life for a moment. I took the time out to be mindful. With one genius stroke of his pen Marquez summed up the human existence and its misplaced priorities through his protagonist:
“He had had to start thirty-two wars and had had to violate all of his pacts with death and wallow like a hog in the dung heap of glory in order to discover the privileges of simplicity almost forty years late.” I closed the novel and tears welled up in my eyes. I often wonder if I am alone when I consider some of the things that we do in this modern era, running here and there doing this and that and often feeling like we are not accomplishing anything of worth. Sometimes that heavy feeling lies on my heart. The wise Solomon says in the King James Version of the Bible, “all is vanity and a vexation of spirit’’. Whenever I get that feeling I stop. It is useful to stop what we are doing and just be still. God asks us to be still and recognize His presence. When we are still and listen keenly for God’s voice then we can truly discern what is important and what is not. Do not get caught up in the rat race. It is a trick to rob us of the joy of living. Our Father wants us to truly live. Let us want that for ourselves too!