While taking a walk last night I could tell by the smell in the air someone was enjoying the cool evening around a fire pit.
It smelled good!
Somehow the smoky aroma got me thinking how the book of Ecclesiastes describes life as a vapor or mist -- or as some translations put it, like 'smoke.'
Ecclesiastes is also known for describing life as 'meaningless.'
Yet in this, the book does not mean life is without value... rather that apart from God life is 'vanity'... and we're unable to find significance in what we experience.
And that's really true, isn't it?
Without God, what is the point of our effort... pleasure... wealth -- even life itself?
But Ecclesiastes doesn't leave us without hope and direction.
It tells us there's purpose in life, and you discover it in knowing and obeying God in the nitty-gritty of where He has you, even if you have trouble making sense of it all.
So the book ends...
“Now after all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).