You.

Better is one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes four, verse six one of the funniest sights on earth is seeing a dog chase his own tail. Around and around he goes, faster and faster, only to stumble over his feet or collapse in a heap after a few frantic seconds. Try as he might, no matter the effort or energy expended, catching his tail is next to impossible, and on the off chance he gets it, he'll end up with a dumb founded look on his face that begs the question, well, what do I do now? So often our pursuits in life amount to little more than chasing our tail. Or as Solomon puts it in the book of proverbs and the Book of Ecclesiastes, chasing after the wind. Time, money and energy are often spent trying to get ahead, trying to win the unseen prize, trying to find satisfaction and significance that never materializes. In all our effort, we not only fail to get what we want, but we discover that we have literally worn ourselves out. And for what? For all we gain, there is always more still to gain. A wealthy man was once asked, how much money will it take to satisfy you? He answered, just a little more than I have. And it's always just a little more. The pursuit never ends. Wouldn't we all be better off content with a little less and still having the energy left to enjoy it? Are all the worries and pressures of the pursuit of the things that we think will bring happiness and fulfillment really worth the price we pay for them? Is what we gain really greater than the grief we experience chasing after it? Is the reward enough to warrant the time and money and energy necessary to obtain it? Contentment with a little less is better by far than being exhausted with much. It is not what we gain by expending ourselves that matters at the end of the day. What matters is what we miss out on when we waste ourselves on things that rob us of the things that really make life worth living?

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to [email protected] have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.