I started reading “Ecclesiastes” this morning. I am making my way slowly through the Bible, one chapter at a time. Here I am at this odd book probably written by King Solomon in his old age. It seems a work of a grumpy old man bemoaning his life. “Meaningless, meaningless. Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless…a chasing after the wind.” Some versions use the word “vanity” instead of meaningless. Vanity insinuates that the chasing was for Solomon’s own gain and this has been found to be meaningless.

Day in and day out the mundane occurrences can seem meaningless. Yet, God knows how many hairs are on my head. He saw me in the womb before I was born. He bottles my tears. If all is meaningless, why bother with us, Lord? Perhaps in reality, everything is meaningful. What if all of life had purpose and meaning even the most mundane?

I admit to not taking my days seriously. What did I do yesterday that was meaningful? Seemed like a chasing after the wind that cannot be caught. Trying to find papers that were dropped off at the clinic but they are nowhere to be found. Trying to juggle work and home. Tomatoes growing out of my ears! Perhaps it is the chasing that is meaningless. If I slow down to enjoy each moment, then I find meaning. The world will not end if the papers are never found. It will not end if my garden has weeds, the house is unkempt and all the tomatoes don’t get used.

Stop…just a moment to breathe. Breathe in the Spirit of my Creator who created me for meaning. Stop chasing and just be present. It’s difficult because the craziness of life does not end. I am not going to have a vacation from it just now. I am in a season of busyness and I need to keep moving forward. But I don’t have to attach significance to things that don’t really matter. Breathe. Enjoy the beauty of the sunrise. Revel in the laugh of a child. Embrace the ones I love. Breathe. Meaning is in every moment but meaning gets attached to the wrong things.

Breathe