Lately I've been appreciating Ecclesiastes a great deal more than I used to. The book just confused me for so long. Consider this passage right at the beginning:
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. (Ecclesiastes 1:2-4)
I never appreciated that until I started stopping the toiling and running. That's an awkward sentence, I know. I'd say that I have "stopped" toiling and running but I haven't so that would be wrong - but even stopping it a little tiny bit has helped. When you stop running for even a little bit you look around and everyone around you seems very silly with all of their striving after the things in this world that just end so quickly. I want to be free from that same striving but I admit that I'm not and that frustrates me.
