There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one's life when one asks oneself, "What's the point?" With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it can be a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a <em>sometimes</em> seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book of Ecclesiastes. Reading through Ecclesiastes, Solomon's struggle could almost be repackaged and sold as a practical how-to handbook on working through existential despair.

In the opening lines of Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon bemoaning the vanity of it all, as he declares,"“Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). As a king and a ruler, it is no surprise that he is offended at the realization that a man will diligently develop his life's work but for no profit, as he will pass away and another will take his place. To add insult to injury, no one will remember his name: <strong>"</strong> No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them." (1:11). And why should they?Neither he nor his contributions to the world are unique: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1: 9). Solomon, perhaps most known for seeking wisdom from God, later goes on to say that wisdom, while it may make your life on earth easier, really has no eternal value.  In fact, he declares that pleasure, riches and treasures, skills and work, popularity, youth, and all that the world values and chases after are utterly meaningless.

But wait, it gets better. Not only is everything meaningless, but it also doesn't matter if you try to do the right thing, because, "All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px"> </span>the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them" (9:2). Solomon's complaint that he can find no reason or meaning behind those who suffer and those who do not, those who prosper and do not, and those who are righteous or not is similar to the Existential concept of the Absurd, the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life, coupled with the human inability to find any meaning. This is in direct contrast to the commonly held karmic belief that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But as Solomon has found, there is no rhyme or reason to it, for: "the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all" (9:11). If you have struggled with the question of why good things happen to bad people (and vice versa), you are not alone. Even Solomon wondered at it and struggled with how our righteousness (or lack there of) can be of value or meaning when it doesn't appear to affect what happens to us here on earth.

Perhaps it seems counter-intuitive, but I find comfort in Solomon's struggles and observations throughout Ecclesiastes, for a few reasons:

First of all, Solomon was a man who knew God and was given incredible wisdom from Him, yet he still struggled with the meaning and purpose of life.  It could be that it is wisdom itself to struggle with the meaning of your life, or it could simply mean that gaining God's wisdom will not make you immune to a very normal, human struggle.  Regardless, if you are struggling with doubts about the meaningfulness of your life and purpose, take heart that one of the greatest kings who sincerely sought after the mind of God and His wisdom also struggled through this very same issue.

Secondly, Ecclesiastes illustrates an important life lesson best learned early: whenever you seek for meaning in transient or changeable things, you will inevitably end up disappointed, discouraged, or worse- in complete despair. If you seek for meaning in possessions or money, or even pleasure and adventure,  you will eventually realize that they do not guarantee true happiness nor do they have any eternal significance. If, like many others, you seek to find meaning in life from your job or vocation,  you may despair if you believe your job is not significant or prestigious. Or, like Solomon, you may decry the fact that years from now, no one will remember you or your work. To take it a step further, what would happenif you completely defined your life and its meaningfulness by your work or vocation? Say you were a dancer who loses a leg in an accident or a pianist whose hands are crippled,and you are suddenly and irretrieveably unable to do the one thing which defined you? What then? It is easier to realize that true meaning in life is not found in earthly things or possessions, but perhaps we need to consider that it shouldn't be found in our calling or vocation either. It is a very freeing moment when we  first truly grasp that what we <em>do</em> is not who we <em>are.</em>

Thirdly, I find comfort in Solomon's observation that bad things happen to good people sometimes and sometimes good things happen to bad people. Yes, I admit, that part of me finds this incredibly unfair. "Good" people who work hard and do the right thing may get sick, lose their job, or suffer innumerable trials and pain. "Evil" people who oppress others and cheat for their own gain may prosper, be filthy rich, and seem to have an easy life. The fact is, good and evil befall us all, and trying to find meaning in the who or why of it all is a waste of time. Yes, God can use all things for the good of those who love Him-- but that does not mean we have to define who we are or what our lives mean by things that "happen" to us, be they good or bad.

At the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that, regardless of how things may appear in our earthly life, we should: "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." (12:13-14). Looking beyond Ecclesiastes into the rest of the Bible, I do not think this is the sole meaning we should find in life; however, Solomon's conclusion does rest on something unchangeable and incorporeal: God. While our time here on earth is transient, and we may struggle with whether anything we do here has any real meaning, in the end, there is a God in heaven who created us and has a purpose for us.

We are immortal souls housed in mortal flesh working our way through a world riddled with sin, and we have an innate need to seek for meaning in this absurd mess. But the full, complete meaning of life cannot be found here in the temporal world, but rather must be found in the context of God and eternity. It  is a difficult task to seek out our own meaning in the Everlasting when we are continually faced with temporal and earthly pains-- and even pleasures.  But, God is big enough to handle our struggles and doubts with life and it's apparent meaningless at times. He won't shrink back at our questions. Really, I think this very struggle is a necessary part of coming to an understanding of our relationship with God, as well as the purpose of our lives, on earth and eternally.

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