The Rest of your Life

What should you do with your life?

Sage Advice

About three thousand years ago, a Jewish King named Solomon aired his opinion on the subject. As he put it, he "wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives." Solomon was an interesting character, and he had a lot going for him. He was highly intelligent. Indeed, this sage-king still has the reputation of being the "wisest man who ever lived."

He also had the means to do practically anything he wanted to do. Not many of us can say that. Finally, in his old age, Solomon found time to reflect on his lifelong experiences. And he passed his thoughts down to us in writing. Bearing all that in mind, it might be a good idea to listen carefully when Solomon speaks.

King Solomon starts off by telling us in so many words that everything in life is meaningless.

"I know, because I have seen it all. You name it, I've done it. I not only did it, but I did it in a big time, kingly fashion. I denied myself nothing, nothing at all. But looking back on it now, I can tell you none of it amounted to a hill of beans."

Pleasure

"What do you think is worthwhile in life? The pursuit of pleasure? Listen to me. I had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines. I had music from men and women singers; all the wine I could drink; and a palace full of people falling all over themselves doing everything they could think of to get in my good graces.

"Sure it is enjoyable up to a point. But when you get everything you want whenever you want it, you quickly discover how meaningless pleasure really is.

"Here is what I've learned: Whenever you seek pleasure, pleasure eludes you. The only way you may find pleasure is by seeking something else first. It could be nothing more than paying someone a sincere compliment, or giving someone a hand with an unpleasant task without expecting a reward, or perhaps merely taking a walk down a familiar path on a sunny day.

"The idea is to do something you really enjoy doing for its own sake. Then, when you least expect it, happiness suddenly bubbles up like a well inside of you. You don't find pleasure; pleasure finds you. Pursuing pleasure for pleasure's sake, however, is like chasing after the wind."

Wealth

"If not pleasure, then what? Wealth? Do you think you should dedicate your life to the pursuit of wealth? I had houses, vineyards, gardens, parks, fruit trees, reservoirs watering groves of trees, male and female slaves, a harem full of women, men and women singers, more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem, horses and chariots, and more silver and gold than you can imagine.

"Hey, I had it all! Believe me, if money and things could buy happiness, then I would have been the happiest man that ever lived.

"But what did I discover? Just this: Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. Wealth isn't what it is cracked up to be. A rich man doesn't even sleep well at night. He's too worried that someone is going to finagle him out of his money.

"Money has its uses, but don't lose your perspective. You were born naked, and when you die, you are going to take with you just what you brought into this world. Remember, whatever you acquire, it's just on loan. It will all be left to someone who had not worked for it."

Knowledge

If neither pleasure nor wealth are worthwhile pursuits, how about the scholarly pursuit of knowledge? How does the king answer that question?

"Oh yes, I spent a great deal of time in study. I learned everything I could about every subject under the sun. That's how I got my reputation for wisdom. It didn't fall out of a tree, you know. What did I find out? Only this: The more you learn, the more you discover there is to know.

"I can tell you, even the brightest of us are ignorant of many things. Certainly, wisdom is better than foolishness, but remember, in a few short years, both the wise man and the fool wind up in the grave. Before long both are forgotten."

Work

King Solomon has told us that pleasure, wealth, and knowledge all have limited value, and none should be the focus of our lives. What's left? Work? Maybe we ought to just lose ourselves in our work. What does the sage think of work?

"Work? Yes, I worked. I built things: I built houses, and I built reservoirs. But by far, my biggest project of all was the temple for God I built in Jerusalem . I also planted vineyards, gardens, parks, fruit trees, and groves of trees. I delighted in my work. That was my reward.

"Of course, it was merely a temporary 'feel-good-about-it' sort of thing. In the long run, all of our toil is useless. Whatever you make, you can't take with you. What you labor for will be turned over to another who didn't work for it. And in due course, whatever you create will be torn down or destroyed and soon forgotten."

We see the wise king throwing a wet blanket over many, perhaps most of the things people devote themselves to today. Pursuit of happiness? "Forget it says Solomon, "you're not going to find it." Pursuit of money and things? "It's a bottomless pit. You'll never get enough. Besides, life is short, and you can't take it with you," says the king.

Pursuit of knowledge? "Sure, but don't become a fanatic about it. You will never learn all there is to know. So don't wear yourself out. Those with PhDs wind up in the grave along side of those who dropped out of kindergarten." Pursuit of work? "It has some momentary value. Over the long haul, don't expect too much from it. You will be dead, and someone else will benefit from whatever you leave behind."

What We Should Do

Then what should we do? Give us your advise King Solomon. How should we spend our brief time on earth?

The king's answer is surprisingly simple: "A man can do nothing better than to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in his work. Enjoy life with the woman you love. Be happy and do good as long as you live. Whatever you do, do it with all your might because you never know when your life might end.

"While you are young, enjoy life as much as possible. But don't forget, God will judge everything you do. The years slip by quickly. Infants turn into youths, youths into adults, adults into middle age, and middle age into old age. It doesn't take long at all.

"All too soon the troubles and afflictions of age sap your strength and weaken your mind. Little enjoyment is left; little achievement is possible. Then death, that great equalizer calls your number. Your body returns to the ground from where it came, and your soul returns to God who gave it."

Solomon concludes his advice with this warning: "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked."

Has Solomon's three thousand year old advice stood the test of time? I believe it has. What do you think?

Some things have changed. Primarily, we have more gadgets these days than they had back in Solomon's time. But our basic choices remain the same. We can dedicate our lives to pleasure, money or possessions, or knowledge, or work. Then again when we reflect on the brevity of life, the certainty of death, and the promise of judgment, we might decide old King Solomon knew what he was talking about.

But what about God judging the good and wicked? The moral law certainly implies that God cares about us, what we do with our lives, and the choices we make. Also our longing for justice, which is often frustrated in this life, leads us to believe, we will get whatever we are due in the world to come.

Point or Pointless?

Let's not beat around the bush. Life for most people at most times has been a series of hard knocks. Disappointments, failures, and humiliations are all too familiar, while successes of any kind are few and far in between. Those who think life is a picnic just haven't lived long enough. Time cures that illusion.

Isn't it obvious? One by one, those nearest and dearest to you will die. Your memory will fade. Slowly it will dawn on you, you are no longer needed. Instead of an asset, you have become a liability. You can't pull your own weight; you're nothing but a burden for others to bear. If you live long enough, that's what's in store for you. Little wonder so many old folks are cranky.

What's the point of it all? There are two ways of looking at it. One is the cynic's view: Life is a bad joke, an enigma, a riddle told by an idiot. Nothing makes sense. The good are just as likely to suffer as the bad. And the bad are just as likely to prosper as the good. Life is pointless.

In much of Ecclesiastes, Solomon seems to be saying that very thing. By the end of the book, the king reaches an entirely different conclusion, which is: Life has a point after all.

Purpose of Life

Our sojourn can best be described as a sort of boot camp or school of hard knocks. Life isn't suppose to be fun. We are here to learn. Learn what? Learn that pleasures, money, possessions, knowledge, and work all have only limited value. None of these pursuits should be the focal point of our lives. By and large, they are mere distractions.

Our primary task, what we are really here for, is to develop character, that is, a certain type of character. Earth, we discover, is nothing more than a large training center for character. Those who graduate have learned their lessons on: fair play, unselfishness, humility, courage, faithfulness, honesty, truthfulness, and treating others with respect and kindness. Those qualities have become part and parcel of their characters.

Someone might well reply: All that sounds nice and positive too. But haven't we really got the same problem here that we had earlier with material possessions? Death robs us of everything. Doesn't that hold true for character as will?

If this life is all there is to it, the answer is yes. Developing character for the grave would certainly be a waste of time and effort. However, we have it on good authority that the soul survives the body, character intact. That character goes with us to our next home.

Consequently, what we know about this training center for character development, plus our undeniable longing for justice, and verifiable near-death-experiences all point to continued life beyond this mortal existence. It looks rather promising. Imagine living in a land full of graduates from the Moral Law University of Hard Knocks, where the school motto is: "Love your neighbor as yourself."