Often times here in Thailand I get myself down or distracted thinking about some of the challenges that I encounter here. Sometimes life feels like organizational cycle, I file papers, sign papers, copy papers, and then file and distribute the ones that I sign and copy, simply so I can meet other people to talk about the same papers. After the meeting of course, more papers are required to document the other papers and expand on what those papers didn't include, then I am back to filing, signing, copying and the distributing and meetings start all over. Life is about papers right? Have you ever thought that this is some cruel joke that God is playing just to see if we are really stupid enough to play along. As it turns out these are often the steps of life we get stuck in and we forget that these steps add up to something great.
- Ecc 2:26 "For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind."
In philosophy the Telos is the end goal we are going for. Everything else in life is the means to this Telos. Solomon makes an amazing realization in the passage above as he draws a line that clearly separates the followers from those who do not. To those that love Christ, they will be "given wisdom and knowledge and joy" but to everybody that has focused their lives on the gathering and collecting of life will do just that, gather and collect, no more.
Nobody is exempt from this rule. Everybody must have a Telos. It is what gives us purpose in life. If somebody has no Telos they would die because surely anybody that has neglected even the most basic Telos of biological survival would see that the alternative of a Telos we find in life is death, so they would commit suicide. So according to this argument we can assume that all living people have a Telos. Some people work to be successful, some missionaries work simply to save lives that are often as meaningless as their own, some make friends and family their Telos. All of these will lead to one thing, dissatisfaction. All people must live for something. Not even a man who's Telos is Christian conversions will see the insides of the gates of heaven. (ironic since many that they save will be on the inside)
We were created to glorify our Heavenly Father and only that. We are programmed to love what is not of this world so how could we ever live a satisfying life worshiping these worldly things. The answer is that we can't. We must either live for Christ or live in spite of Him. As I am sitting here wondering what the point in all this madness is, I can only conclude that it is to glorify God. We have a reason for being here in this life, something that surpasses our religion and doctrine. I have a reason to go to immigration for half a day and sign papers, I have a reason to file reports and do the circular tasks of running an organization. It is to Glorify God. The moment that ceases, my Telos becomes something else and I start gathering and collecting for others that will Glorify God with their lives.
There is a reason for all of this...and it isn't to collect and gather...
- Ecc 2:26 "For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind."
In philosophy the Telos is the end goal we are going for. Everything else in life is the means to this Telos. Solomon makes an amazing realization in the passage above as he draws a line that clearly separates the followers from those who do not. To those that love Christ, they will be "given wisdom and knowledge and joy" but to everybody that has focused their lives on the gathering and collecting of life will do just that, gather and collect, no more.
Nobody is exempt from this rule. Everybody must have a Telos. It is what gives us purpose in life. If somebody has no Telos they would die because surely anybody that has neglected even the most basic Telos of biological survival would see that the alternative of a Telos we find in life is death, so they would commit suicide. So according to this argument we can assume that all living people have a Telos. Some people work to be successful, some missionaries work simply to save lives that are often as meaningless as their own, some make friends and family their Telos. All of these will lead to one thing, dissatisfaction. All people must live for something. Not even a man who's Telos is Christian conversions will see the insides of the gates of heaven. (ironic since many that they save will be on the inside)
We were created to glorify our Heavenly Father and only that. We are programmed to love what is not of this world so how could we ever live a satisfying life worshiping these worldly things. The answer is that we can't. We must either live for Christ or live in spite of Him. As I am sitting here wondering what the point in all this madness is, I can only conclude that it is to glorify God. We have a reason for being here in this life, something that surpasses our religion and doctrine. I have a reason to go to immigration for half a day and sign papers, I have a reason to file reports and do the circular tasks of running an organization. It is to Glorify God. The moment that ceases, my Telos becomes something else and I start gathering and collecting for others that will Glorify God with their lives.
There is a reason for all of this...and it isn't to collect and gather...
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