Chasing After Wind
What is the wind? According to several sources I found, including my 7th grade son and his science book, wind is air moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. Wind is caused when the earth’s surface is unevenly heated by the sun. Since warm air rises and cool air descends, and because the earth is constantly moving, the air becomes wind. Why would anyone chase the wind? It seems that chasing after wind is the epitome of a meaningless pursuit, don’t you think? And King Solomon would agree. In one of his more reflective seasons of life, he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. And I have been spending some time there as well, trying to figure out things like the meaning of life, my personal purpose, and how to find satisfaction for my heart. Just little things to keep a girl busy in the rainy winter months…
In the twelve chapters of Ecclesiastes Solomon uses the expression “a chasing after wind” at least 8 times. And he describes all the things in life he has found to be “meaningless” as such thirty times. With this mood to the book, one might rename it “The Why Bother Chapters” unless we decide to dig in, ask the Holy Spirit to guide us, and open our minds to something greater. I feel pretty confident that we’ll find something.
As I was reading through Ecclesiastes this section really resonated with me:
11 He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil – this is a gift from God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. (Ecclesiastes 3:11-14)
This isn’t one of the sections describing man’s pursuits as meaningless or chasing after wind, but I see a description of a tension here that I relate to. It’s the tension of having eternity in our hearts, placed there by God Himself, and yet a limited capacity to understand or enjoy eternal things. This creates a certain amount of anxiety in our lives as we bump against our limitations in this life to comprehend realities in eternity. God is eternal and His own glory is His highest priority. And in revealing His glory, He gives us a gift – the gift to enjoy Him and the lives He gave us. He has given us the ability to work, to enjoy food and drink, to engage in relationships, and to find Him in all of it. So why do we chase wind and sometimes miss God entirely?
Wind has power and we see its effects – both productively and destructively. I see a windmill produce energy, and I see the devastation of a tornado. I would submit that we chase after things in our lives that look like they would create some energy, but end up destroying us or leaving us empty. And I think most of what we chase falls into one of four categories: pleasure, possession, power, or projects.
Pleasure: Is it easier to be still and hear from God in an unpleasant season of life or anesthetize myself with food or drink or television or shopping, etc. to dull the pain? Best case scenario, my pain pops up again when the drug of choice wears off and I am left with the inner gnawing of the guilt of my weakness combined with the original unease that I still have not dealt with. Worst case scenario, I’ve got a full-blown addiction on my hands.
Possession: There are plenty of references in the Bible discouraging us from putting our faith in what money can buy. And anyone who has bought a brand new car knows the chagrin of the first ding or scratch. It feels for just a moment like the car owns me and not the other way around, doesn’t it? And a woman’s manner of letting materialism move in and take root in our hearts can be insidious and divisive. Who has a bigger diamond? Prettier house? Nicer clothes? More expensive car? We chase after it, even when we know it won’t last.
Power: Would that the male gender had a corner on the market of this vice. Alas, it is not so. Am I alone in wanting to control some situation or some person in my life? Chasing after influence or placing our reputation above the quality of relationships is meaningless and a chasing after wind.
Projects: If I am defined by what I accomplish in my job or in my home or in athletics, etc. then it is likely that I will not experience the satisfaction Solomon talks about in Ecclesiastes. Instead, I will forever be focused on the next achievement or completed task, thereby missing the joy that comes in the beauty of life that surrounds me.
(As a side note, I believe that women can use beauty in any of these categories: the pleasure of a pedicure, possessing expensive accessories, influencing others by virtue of appearance, and constant attention to outward improvement. I’m just sayin’…)
So if God has put eternity in our hearts and has given us the gift to enjoy the pleasures of this life, why do we often feel empty? One reason may be that we were not meant to be too comfortable here. Look at these verses from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians:
1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 ... For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:1-6)
We were created for eternity; that’s why God put it in our hearts. That tension we feel should drive us toward God and cause us to long for eternity. When we give in to the meaningless chasing after pleasure, possessions, power or projects, we let ourselves be lulled into a false sense of satisfaction that’s just a distraction. We may also legitimately feel dissatisfaction in life because God wants the unrest to produce something in our souls. Either way, the process of running to Him for solace, guidance and deep satisfaction is the means and the ends to our issues.
• This week ask yourself why you’re going after your goals in life. Do the things that take the bulk of your time and energy give you satisfaction? Do you see God in them? Or are they effective distractions – meaningless chasing after wind? I look forward to hearing what you discover.
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