Ecclesiastes // Chasing Meaningનમૂનો

Have you ever heard of the term “quiet quitting?” According to a recent Forbes article, the term became popular just before Labor Day when many employers urged employees to return to the workplace after years of working remotely. There are two definitions for the phrase. Some use “quiet quitting” to mean they have checked out of work. They are officially disengaged, doing the bare minimum. These people brag on social media about doing next to nothing at work. Others use the term to indicate that they have set personal boundaries with work. They have decided to no longer threaten their health and personal well-being with unrealistic schedules.¹ While Solomon didn’t coin the phrase, he came to the initial conclusion that his work was not all that meaningful.

Ecclesiastes 2:11

Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Solomon counted his hours, measured the family sacrifices, thought of all the sleepless nights worrying about an upcoming deadline, and concluded that it was all useless. There “was nothing to be gained under the sun.” Looking through humanistic eyes, he found that there was nothing to show at the end of the day for the physical and emotional toll caused by work. And, from an “under-the-sun” perspective, that’s true. I have a friend who worked most of his life in the C-suite. He traveled the world, making a lot of money and connections for his company. Then, without fanfare, he was relocated to a cubicle, and others took his place. His wife had to organize the retirement dinner with some friends. That’s where we will all end up—with work under the sun.

But…Solomon’s initial conclusions are trumped by his ultimate and final summation. Under the sun, in this fallen world, life and work don’t always make a lot of sense. That all changes, however, when we understand that the whole duty of man is to honor, love, respect, and obey God. You were assigned a job by God to serve him and serve others. Everything matters to God (Eccl. 12:13-14).

Father, jolt me from an under-the-sun perspective. Help me see that you have assigned my job for this day. You make the ordinary extraordinary. Help me serve you and others with the work you have given me today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.