Articles
Something is Missing
I went to the grocery store this week to get some eggs. When I opened the carton to make sure they were all in good condition, I noticed that one egg was missing. I don’t know what happened to the mysterious egg. Maybe somebody just wanted an extra egg. But I try to be optimistic about humankind, so I suppose it cracked and somebody threw it away.
Whatever the case may be, there was one missing egg. Although the rest were still there, I can’t imagine buying a carton of eggs realizing that something is missing. Being short just one egg makes the whole bunch seem less desirable.
The lives of many people are a bit like those eggs. There is just something missing. And because something is missing, it makes everything else seem less desirable.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, we are taken on a philosophical journey. What is life all about? With the writer of Ecclesiastes as our tour guide, we turn over several rocks along the way, trying to find the thing which leads to true satisfaction.
Does increasing in wisdom lead to happiness and contentment? No.
How about pleasure and possessions? Nope.
Enjoying the fruit of one’s labor? No, it’s not there either.
Eventually, we read, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl 12:13-14).
The journey concludes, not by looking outward, but rather by looking inward. Where do I stand in relation to God? I am truly living so that the name of God is exalted, or am I living in an attempt to exalt my own name?
Our culture tells us, “Make a name for yourself!” Yet many can attest to the emptiness and dissatisfaction brought about by this pursuit. Attempting to make a name for yourself is like missing an egg in the egg carton. It is not whole. It is not complete. Something is missing. Only when we find God through Christ will we be whole.
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority” (Col 2:8-10).
