‘Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. What does man gain from all his labour at which he toils under the sun?’ (Ecclesiastes 1v2-3). When the best laid plans come unstuck, & even the successful ones are unsatisfying – how do you be wise? What is the wise life in a frustrating world?
Ecclesiastes helpfully gives us a way forward. In recognising the frailty of this life, it points to the security of obeying God. Ecclesiastes gives us a dose of reality that helps us both find pleasure ‘under heaven’ & commit to work that is not in vain.