Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Don't Chase the Wind

Have you ever tried to catch the wind? Perhaps you once launched a kite on a passing breeze or trimmed your sails to harness the swirling air currents to propel your sailboat forward. But did you honestly catch the wind- or did it catch you? Wind is elusive. It is intangible. Chimes or catchers hanging on your back porch may detect its presence or point out its direction, but they never contain it.
Solomon discovered that finding pleasure is as elusive as catching the wind. He pursued everything imaginable to achieve lasting bliss. But the smartest man alive still had a restless mind. The richest man in the world couldn't buy happiness. The most powerful person in the kingdom was unable to satisfy his own heart. And although he had 700 wives and 300 concubines, he never found true love. His conclusion? These pursuits were meaningless, completely unsatisfying.
Securing happiness on our own is like trying to catch the wind. We can try to chase it, but it will always remain just out of reach. The Bible teaches us that instead of searching for happiness, we should allow God's joy and peace to reign in our hearts. Instead of striving for the things we think will satisfy, we can learn to find true contentment by looking to God, whatever our circumstance.
The Bible often uses the word blessed, which means "oh, how happy." To God, blessed ppl are happy people and happy ppl are blessed. Solomon's father, King David, said blessed are those whose sins are forgiven (Psalm 32:1), who trust in the Lord (Psalm 40:4) and who draw near to God.
The true source of pleasure is God.
Don't waste your time trying to catch the wind; instead, find true happiness by laying hold of the Wind Maker. :)