The 'It' That Matters

This article first appeared in the May 2003 issue of BreakPoint WorldView magazine.

“Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand” (Ecclesiastes 5:15).

Burial rooms in the ancient Egyptian pyramids illustrate elaborate efforts to make man-crafted treasures available for use in the afterlife. Modern man knows without question the vanity of those efforts. The glorious artifacts now crowd our museums or have been dispersed by thieves. I sometimes wonder whether jealousy partially motivated those bottling-up practices.

Jealousy causes us to say: “If I can’t have it or him or her, then I surely don’t want you to have what is beyond my grasp.” Recall Solomon’s pain: “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? . . . For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune” (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19, 21).

We all say confidently: “You can’t take it with you.” But if only we would refocus our minds on the “it” that matters—relationships—instead of the “it” that is matter—possessions. The world measures success in terms of “stuff”: tangible possessions and those that are abstract, including power, position, prestige, popularity, and pleasures of the flesh. Ecclesiastes is clear about the vanity of chasing after worldly success as an end in itself. It cannot possibly satisfy, and we surely cannot take it with us.

As believers, we know only God-defined significance can satisfy, not world-defined success. Significance is based on the quality and meaning of our relationships, with God and with our fellow man. The depth of our love for God, our experience of His love for us, and our love for our neighbors will determine the depth of our satisfaction while living in this earthly realm. We will take with us into the next realm our relationship (or lack of one) with God and the memories of our relationships with others. This will determine the nature of our eternal existence.

Jesus told us: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things [stuff that we actually need, as opposed to merely want] will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). He set the priorities. At the same time, Scripture does not condemn success. In fact, many heroes of faith portrayed in the Bible were wealthy, powerful, or both, including Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, David, and Job. They are heroes, not because of their wealth or power, but because of their faith and because they used their worldly success (mostly) for the glory of God. Success is a wonderful blessing if it is acquired in God’s way. It must be based on right relationships with God and with people and be used to further God’s kingdom. It is a means, not an end. To whom much is given, much is expected.

In ordering one’s priorities, every Christian must choose: Shall I strive for success as an end in itself, stuffing my life full of stuff in a futile attempt to fill a void? Or shall I seek the significance that satisfies and fill that universal void by deepening right relationships with God and others? If we pursue the latter, God promises that stuff enough will come.