Learning to Let Go: Finding Freedom in SurrenderSample

DAY 4: THE NEVER-ENDING CHASE

I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 1:14 NIV)

“My biggest regret… was actually studying hard… and doing nothing else.” That was how UP Cebu summa cum laude Edsel Codoy started his speech, further explaining that in “chasing excellence [his] entire academic life,” he “missed out on life.”

The Teacher in the book of Ecclesiastes also had his share of accomplishments. And compared to Edsel’s, his was far greater. His life was full because he was no stranger to wisdom, pleasure, work, power, and wealth. And yet, he repeatedly says, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2), a mere “chasing after the wind” (v. 14).

The world tells us not just to go for the next big thing, but also to be the next big thing. And so, heeding this advice, we run incessantly and get caught up in a never-ending chase that steals our energy, our relationships, our joy, and sometimes, our very soul. We work day in and day out, only to miss seeing our children grow up. We spend all our time looking after the kids and keeping the house squeaky and sparkly clean that we end up exhausted, sometimes even drained. We push beyond our limits in advancing God’s Kingdom that we have little to no time left with the God of the Kingdom.

Our run doesn’t have to be a meaningless chasing after the wind. We just need to break free from the lie that greatness comes from running and never pausing. Or maybe, what we need is to change our course and run after what truly matters. It’s about time that we “throw off everything that hinders” and “[fix] our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

What are you running after? Is it on track with God’s Ways? If not, how can your path be aligned with God’s?

Gracious God, please forgive me for being side-tracked. Please help me run this race with eyes fixed on You and not on the things of this world.