“All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.”
Ecclesiastes 1:8
Moving to near Orlando, FL, I quickly learned that the Disneyworld lingo and experience was common small talk and fun experiences known by most. Cruises compete for our attention, time and money. But…graduation night from high school, my class climbed on a bus to spend the night at Disneyland in Los Angeles so I kinda understood. I remember waiting three hours for the ride swirling through the mountain, arms raised over our heads, voices screaming, and water splashing us. It was great! We raced to the next ride for the next thrill. Some genres of movies keep their watchers on the edge of their seats as the hero fights his way to victory. Pornography offers titillating visual stimulation. I need not go on to point out how experiences can become addictive as we become weary of the ordinary and seek a new thrill.
The Teacher says our eyes never tire of seeing and our ears never tire of hearing. It’s true today too. We love our TVs and we love gossip. Stories of war and conquest, of mysteries and intrigues are brought to life from all epochs of history, and of course great love stories and stories of heroism capture our attention. Our heroes may change but there is a cyclicalness to the experiences of our lives that can weary us even as we talked about yesterday.
Will future generations remember my life’s efforts asks the Teacher in v. 11. Do I detect the whisper of the Sly One who tempted Eve with the promise of greatness if she would just eat the fruit. Jesus was promised the kingdoms of this world if he would just worship Satan or jump from the temple. That search for meaningfulness is core to all of us. Most of us will never have our life story made famous by Hollywood or history. Most of us are ordinary, doing deeds that are most meaningful to our loved ones. It is only God who consistently is with us, caring and remembering us. We claim Isaiah 49:15-16
Can a woman forget her nursing-child,
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
As you go about your life today and perhaps feel “ordinary,” may you remember there is a God who sees and uses our ordinary lives to make his great masterpiece. We are the characters in his story and that means we are meaningful in the midst of what seems ordinary. Blessings.
On the Way to Wonder 