I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Eccl. 1:14

We are daily confronted with lies. Unless we can learn to identify the lies of the world, we will be continually unhappy and dissatisfied. And one of the biggest lies is, “You can have it all, and having it all will make you happy.”

He was president of his state professional association. He had four brilliant and athletic children, a gracious and beautiful wife, and was worth well over five million dollars. And yet he was one of the most unhappy people I have ever met. Having reached every goal he had set out for himself, he was now trying to convince that a bigger house, a younger wife, or another million might make him happy. He was rapidly reaching a point in life where he had to face the truth that even if you had it all, you don’t. If  he didn’t change his focus, he would end up saying, like King Solomon long ago, “All is vanity.”

If we define happiness by the world’s standards, we will continually be disappointed. Happiness comes from knowing and following God, not from power, prestige, and material possessions. And that means that’s God’s kind of happiness can come to anyone, from the lowliest worker to a king.

Prayer:  Lord, help me to want the happiness that comes from knowing you, not the emptiness of “grasping for the wind.”