Circumstance

What gain has the worker from his toil?  I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.  I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.  That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away. Ecclesiastes 3:9-14

Solomon tells us of a lesson we can all benefit from.  It is the fact that the circumstances of life have no value in and of themselves.  All that we do with our time on earth can end up without any real purpose or value other than to fill our space and time on earth.  Here are some principles we need to consider.

Circumstance w/o purpose produces weariness.

We do things for a variety of reasons.  When we review those reasons, we often find that the majority of what we call "motivations" are actually "coercions" - or external pressures.  We do more things because we “have to” than because we want to. We live as if we have no control over our lives.  The demands of life are exactly that until you decide whether you are choosing to follow or just reacting to an internal or external command.

The word "toil" in verse 9 describes the feeling many of us have toward life's circumstances. Sometimes it is just our attitude about the responsibilities we have in life that cause us to toil rather than live productive, fulfilling lives.  If we can put a reason or a purpose behind the mundane “toil” of our lives, our attitude and outlook on life will change immediately.

Consider this:
When you lose your purpose you will lose your energy.
When you lose your purpose you will lose your peace.
When you lose your purpose you will lose your joy.
When you lose your purpose you will lose your life.

Circumstance w/o purpose produces boredom.

Physical weariness is not nearly as depressing a mental weariness.  If our heart is not involved, we will have no initiative...no life in our labor.  We are seeing generations of people busier than any other generation before and yet twice as bored with life.  Excitement in life and expectation of a great tomorrow are not the common experience of people without purpose.  Without a purpose we are still waiting for someone else or something else to make us happy.

Circumstance w/o purpose produces emptiness.

"Unfulfilled" is the key descriptive word for people in our world today.  We have generated the capacity to get anything we want, almost the moment we want it, and yet still can't get what we need.  There are millions that come to the end of life and still don't know why they lived it.

God has not made us without purpose.  He did not breathe life into our souls for us to toil away every day of our lives until we die.  Each day we are strengthened and empowered in His will for our lives.  God has put eternity in our hearts so we can do things today that will impact our forever!

Scripture to Claim:So I saw that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot.  Who can bring him to see what will be after him?  Ecclesiastes 3:22