The City

What are you searching for?

Does Tal's story feel familiar? Chasing success, climbing the ranks of Ican, always hoping the next Key would be the one that finally brought peace? And for a moment, it seemed like it might! But even in the glittering heights of achievement, something deeper was still unsatisfied. Maybe you've felt it too—that strange dissonance when you hit the goal, get the recognition, or finally walk through the door you prayed would open . . . and yet you still feel the ache. That quiet question lingers in our hearts:

Is this really all there is?

Tal’s story exposes something ancient and deeply human—the longing for fulfillment that no amount of success, affirmation, or freedom can satisfy. Like the booths in the forest bazaar, our world offers countless options for purpose: adventure, impact, recognition, love, you name it. None are inherently wrong. But when we try to anchor our identity in them, they buckle under the weight. Solomon’s words ring out like a warning: “Everything I had worked so hard to accomplish . . . was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind.”

What if the ache inside us is actually a compass? What if it’s pointing us toward the One who made us, the One who whispers into our restless hearts: Come and see?

Reflection Questions:

1. When have you reached a goal or milestone, only to find it didn’t satisfy you like you thought it would?
2. What “Keys” are you currently chasing? Or put another way, how would you fill in this sentence: "If I can just _____________ I'll finally be ____________."
3. How might your unmet longing be an invitation instead of a failure?