I Did Not Sign Up For This (Life)! The Dilemma of Our Lot In Life Kelly Durant
Ecclesiastes 2:17 Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
2. How many of you have ever ordered a cheeseburger at a fast food place but instead they gave you a hamburger by mistake? And the lines behind you are very long, so what do you do?
There are usually 3 ways that I have seen people react to this situation. One, they may butt into line and start yelling at the clerk, “Hey, are you stupid? I ordered a cheeseburger, not a hamburger!” And everyone stares at the staff and you fascinated by the drama show waiting to see how everyone’s going to react.
Two, many people like myself will just eat it anyway giving thanks to God that at least I can eat something, even though it was not my preference. And three, other people I have seen will just throw it away preferring to be hungry in protest rather than to accept what they got. How have you reacted in the past to this situation?
3. This example we can apply to how people react to what they get in in life, they can either angrily blame God and others, accept their lot in life and make the best of it, or get bitter, hateful, and resentful. There are mega-multitudes of people that do not worship God, nor go to church to learn about God’s love and the deeper things of life but still common sense is out there for everyone to learn from. Sadly, few ask God about His will for their lives! Even a Christian may think that God is unfair to them compared to others, but can prayer reveals purpose.
From the movie ‘Forest Gump’, there is a quote that says, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates and you never know what you are going to get’. That is a pretty true analogy of life, don’t you think? You did not get to choose the country you were born in, the parents and family you have, the amount of wealth you grow up with, your race and the color of your hair, eyes or skin, the good or bad characteristics of your character, body, or mind, nor did you get to choose the year in which you were born in. We are all victims of circumstance!
Summing up these factors for our temporary existence on this planet, it might make one deduct that all of our life is unfair and intimidating! Like it or not we have to reason with ourselves and with God to understand our place and purpose in this world and accept this fact; that we are not as in control of things as we would like to be! All is vanity and vexation of spirit! Some people choose to blame everyone else for their lot in life and hate it all. When life is not as they want it then they think it’s their parents fault, it’s their ex mates fault, or worse, they think everything is messed up so it must be God’s fault! But it’s all in how you choose to play your cards that makes all the difference in the world!
4. Even as children we analyze our situation in life and we notice that we are not as pretty or as handsome as some others, that we are not as rich as some others, that we are more or less healthy than others, and that we are often labeled within some minority category. We are born into a world hijacked by Satan who has generationally damaged our cultures, and harmed our ability to connect with God so being distorted in our human conclusions, we complain and hate the fact that we are having to tolerate living within the stratus of some demon controlled system. Every system of man around the world is a double standard unfair social order ran by liars, bullies, and cheaters! Life is unfair for almost everyone and many innocent ones die young! Some innocent ones don’t even get to be born!
How old were you when the reality of your qualities hit you? 10 years old? Some people even become aware at 7 years old, others at 13 years old, and yet there are some people that never seem to quite fully become aware of where they stand with anything in life analyzing and understanding what their purpose in life is all about and how to make the best of it. There are many intelligent people out there, even with Phds that never gain any understanding or wisdom concerning the deep meaningful things of God, life, or purpose. They may only take notice after certain painful things happen to them and they seek God authentically.
Some people are like a cork in the ocean bobbing around as if with no starting place and with no destiny, distracted and entertained, self-absorbed and confused. Observe how many trains, buses and cars are full of the faithless that live frustrated and futile lives! And to make it worse these kinds of unspiritual ignorant-of-God people believe and follow any current trend, and they will suddenly flip flop in beliefs and accept any crazy idea promoted by the premeditating destructive social engineers as if no common sense existed at all! Too many people have intelligence and no wisdom and it is because they have never developed any connection with God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit! And they with their wandering hate and foolishness are leading our world to destruction!
James 1: 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
5. Ecclesiastes 2:17 Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind. Why in the book of Ecclesiastes does it mention the work we do under the sun 27 times and do it within the context of being in vain? What is the problem that Solomon has here that he says that he hates life, that all we do is for nothing and is vanity, as if we are trying to catch the wind, which is impossible?
It is not to reveal that in this life, even if you become a king with great wealth as Solomon did, you will never gain satisfaction, heaven, or anything as you want it! Even after you or I work hard to get something it will eventually become meaningless and seem futile because that is God’s design: this world is never enough to satisfy! You can gain the whole world and lose your soul in the process of the pursuit of happiness. All you and I work for is just going to be left behind!
But after a person realizes that despite their box of chocolates they have some freedom to make good choices to accomplish something of value to them, God, and others, this life may offer some temporary relief. But still all we gain will never totally fulfill our hungry souls and hearts that have a God-shaped hole only He can fill. Only by uniting with Jesus in heaven will we find a complete rest and happiness. We must take into account that God blesses us with unique talents and the Holy Spirit to make it through this weary world where nothing is ever going to be as we want it.
6. So what are you and I going to do in the meantime while on this prison called earth? Would it be of any use to curse God for allowing you and other people to be born into this world where life is unbearable and you grow to hate everything because you can never really own or control anything exactly to your liking? I can tell you I would have preferred that all my kids be great Bible teachers, but they chose different paths of their interests. No one ever gets to have their family, their finances, their church, or their life in perfect condition. Perfect does not exist in a broken world! So are you going to complain or pray and make the best of it?
I have concluded that a majority of the people of the world hate their life and they will never be made happy with anything! Look how many embittered argumentative discontent worldly faithless indifferent people there are out there! Christians with Jesus, however, do have a peace and love that is supernatural beyond the normal default of the human condition of dis-satisfaction with life.
Notice how many violent criminals, rapists, murderers, and murderous radicals come into existence all because they are mad at the world! Isn’t it in part because they want to make somebody else pay because they cannot have the wealth and power their greedy little soul desires? If they can’t own it all, then they want to destroy it! There are real demons of envy and hate controlling people!
7, And how alarming it is today to learn about how many embittered followers there are of false religions and oppressive governments that foment relieving your harbored hateful frustrations on others over the unfairness of life. What a disastrous solution that they impose their illogical traumatizing set of rules on others in the name of god or for the good of society (values of Satan from hell!).
How sad that so few people submit to Jesus who gives anyone who chooses Him a good life and a purpose. Due to Satan’s attacks on Christians not everyone gets to have a good life as a Christian because in the world we have tribulation and it comes from Satanic persecutors. But believers do overcome the world!
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. The best possible life anyone could hope for is that life which is dedicated to Jesus because you know there will be a reward in the next life for you work under the sun.
8. What we all must remember is that we have been cursed ever since Adam and Eve brought sin and rebellion into the world because they disobeyed God. It is sad but true, we all have inherited this broken world and for some people it is more broken than for others. But despite that God will judge everyone according to what they had and what they did with it.
Luke 12:48 “(But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few). For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more”. Those of us who are blessed (and we are!) should bless others!
We can never be happy in a world where cruel people commit horrific acts of evil against others, where sickness and death sadden and shake us, where worries and fears weight us down until insanity comes, where starvation and government or religious oppression suppresses us from obtaining our basic daily needs of food and shelter. This life is a cruel school for us to learn by, to see just how evil and vain people will be without submission to the true Jehovah God of heaven, who sent His Son to save the souls of men. Thank God the goats and sheep will be divided on judgment day we will no longer be subject to this pain.
9. The good news is Jesus frees us from it all! He took away sickness, death, and fears! He took away the curse of submitting to a religion of difficult laws. Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)
If you think your lot in life is bad, consider how Jesus had it. To the carnal thick mind of the unspiritual man, Jesus may appear to have been cursed being called by God to die on the tree, or cross, for unjust humanity, but His seemingly unfair task in life became the life giving eternal blessing and liberation of all mankind!
We have to work together with Jesus and each other! If you dislike your brothers and your church it could possibly stem from suppressed guilt because you are disliking yourself for not accepting who you are and what your responsibilities in life are that God expects you to do while you live under the sun. Each one of us has a unique task and we must learn to deny ourselves, and not desire the hypocritical world with its power and wealth hungry Godless aggressors. Our joy and peace comes by serving God and others expecting nothing in this life in return!
10. Are you discontent with life and with yourself? I wrote a poem about that. SELF
Self righteous, self satisfied
Self isolated, self glorified
Selfish, self loving, me, myself
Self pity, self willed, prove thyself
I hate myself, for self causes pain
And speak for yourself,
Self creates the insane!
Self, be condemned!
Futile game!
Let another man praise you,
Not your own name. by Kelly Durant
Here on earth life will always offer you and me moments of frustration and pain but also of joy and we have our hope of a blissful life in heaven. Rev. 21: 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Is all vanity and frustration on earth? Well, if you live without Jesus giving you eternal life and a mission to live for then yes! Life for so many is an empty, painful, experience, and then you die! But with Jesus we can get through it all, as you and I learn to trust in Him. Don’t labor for the meat that perishes but for that which brings eternal life!
