“I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.” – Ecc. 2:1
I suspect that no one ever pursued pleasure and hunted for happiness so much as Solomon. He conducted an experiment putting everything he had into his search for satisfaction, only to come up empty. Exhausted from his efforts he finally concluded that it is all “vanity and vexation of spirit” Ecc. 2:26). His story of disappointment reminds me of another that I read about. Here it is —
In New York City, there are eight million cats and eleven million dogs. New York City is basically just concrete and steel, so when you have a pet in New York City and it dies, you can’t just go out in the back yard and bury it. The city authorities decided that for $50 they would dispose of your deceased pet for you.
One lady was enterprising. She thought, I can render a service to people in the city and save them money. She placed an ad in the newspaper that said, “When your pet dies, I will come and take care of the carcass for you for $25.” This lady would go to the local Salvation Army and buy an old suitcase for two dollars. Then when someone would call about his or her pet, she would go to the home and put the deceased pet in the suitcase.
She would then take a ride on the subway, where there are thieves. She would set the suitcase down, and she would act like she wasn’t watching. A thief would come by and steal her suitcase. She’d look up and say, “Wait. Stop. Thief.” My guess is the people who stole those suitcases got a real surprise when they got home.
A lot of us are like those New York thieves. We’re chasing after happiness, and we grab what we think will give us happiness; however, when we get, it doesn’t quite deliver.
Here’s the bottom line. True happiness comes only from a right relationship with God, through the Lord Jesus Christ. God wants you to be happy, but He wants you to find your happiness in Him! You will never be happy until you see your need of Christ and trust Him to meet it. – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
