In 1964, The Righteous Brothers recorded a song entitled, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin.” I have jokingly sung this song occasionally to my wife when she has made a snide remark to me. The song declares a once tender, affectionate love that has come upon hard times.
In a relationship built on a shaky foundation, you can expect trouble. Fun times and joys of early romance can fade in the grind of our daily experience. Life can wear on us, and the wearing impacts all of our relationships and perspectives.
Through various circumstances, my mind has been turned to reading and meditating through the book of Ecclesiastes. I’ve read the book before numerous times. As I have read afresh this portion of the bible, it has made a remarkable impression upon me. I can’t say, honestly, that I understand all of the ins and outs, the twists and the turns. But I have been reinvigorated regarding how relevant this message is to us in this twenty-first century.
I don’t know about you, but all the minutes of my days are often occupied. My wife and I schedule our days into blocks of time so that we ensure that we are not neglecting something essential. So, from the minute we get up, we are onto the tasks at hand. Sometimes, in the midst of these activities, my wife will ask me a question about what I will be doing during a particular period of time, and I will simply reply, “The next thing.”
The advent of the “stupid” phone has taken its toll on us all. With access to our email, Facebook, text messages, news, sports, etc., we have begun to use the previously unused portions of time (waiting in line at the bank, sitting at a traffic light, and even, shhhh…. don’t tell anyone, using the bathroom) catching up on the world around us.
There are certain stretches of time that are fine. There are joy-filled items planned into our schedule. There may be an upcoming event that we are looking forward to. The unpleasant elements of our schedule are tolerable because of anticipation of the future event or reflection on a recent enjoyment.
If we are not careful, or deliberate, we will come to a place in our lives (and maybe you have already experienced it) when we think, “Really? Is this it? This is what my life has become?” You can hear it when you ask someone how things are going. “Same ‘ole, same ‘ole” and worse comments can be heard. In evaluating our lives, we can become jaded, for either we have achieved what we set out to achieve and we are not satisfied or we have been abysmal failures at accomplishing our plans and we feel like failures.
It is not only a problem for the middle aged or older. Our teens can experience this in a different form. During the school year, they are scheduled with studying and other elements of their routine. Their free time is limited and so they begrudgingly or happily move through the weeks. When summertime arrives, they feel they’ve reached the pinnacle of life – no more school and schedule. Then, they get up on Monday morning, and you can start to hear it: “What am I supposed to do?” “I did that yesterday!”
So, it is with life “under the sun.” What do you mean “life under the sun?” Solomon uses this expression 28 times in the book of Ecclesiastes. The basic idea of the expression is living life without regard to our Father in heaven. Solomon in numerous ways describes attempts to live life to the fullest without our Maker in our minds. So, he speaks of the emptiness of life. He sought to be satisfied with the activities of his hand (2:4-6), the investigations of his mind (whether toward wisdom or toward madness [1:16-17]), the indulgence of his desires (2:10-11), the wealth he had accumulated (2:8), and the tastes of his mouth (6:7). In other words, you can have it all and still feel empty. That emptiness can also be described as numbness. When we cease to find satisfaction in our lives, numbness, purposelessness, and hopelessness begin to rule our minds.
Many a person has been captured by this numbness. They will do almost anything to address it. Some try to conquer it with drugs and alcohol, others with prescribed medication, some with healthy eating and exercise, others with material purchases, some with sex, and if these don’t work – well, some have become so numb and hopeless that they have considered, attempted or completed suicide.
Solomon, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, provides a clue to the solution for the numbness people experience. He writes, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Then, “Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed” (Ecclesiastes 12:6, NASB95). He then concludes, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14, ESV)
Our lives were not meant to be lived outside of an ever-present awareness of an ever-present God. “It is He who made us” (Psalm 100:3). He made us in His own image (Gen. 1:26). He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to deliver us from our sin (Matt. 20:28; 1 Pet. 1:18-19), and to provide us with abundant life (John 10:10).
It is a process to learn these things. We do not understand life naturally. Paul testifies to this fact when he wrote, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11). He was able to deal with the despairing elements of life because he knew that there was more than life “under the sun” (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
Do you find yourself befuddled, frustrated, and/or numb from life?
The testimony of Augustine aligns with the testimony of Solomon. Augustine wrote, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”