The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“‘Futility of futilities,’ says the Preacher, ‘Futility of futilities! All is futility.’ What advantage does a person have in all his work which he does under the sun?”

—Ecclesiastes 1:2–3

Most of us have lived the idea that once we achieve some goal, we’ll have it made. We could never be unhappy then! But it’s not true. We learn this over and over in life but always seem to forget—the Christmas present we begged for becomes commonplace after a couple of weeks, that relationship we pined over becomes strife–filled in ways we didn’t expect, the job we worked so hard for is now empty and unfulfilling, the wealth we earned bought a lot of stuff, but we’re still unsatisfied. It’s never enough.

Solomon is renowned as the wealthiest and wisest man who ever lived, and he conducted this happiness experiment for himself. He tried wisdom (learning/intellect), pleasure (women/possessions/drink/parties/luxury), work (effort/skill/success), and he tells us it was all vanity. He denied himself nothing, and he found it all empty.

If Solomon tells us he tried everything, and that wasn’t the answer, we should be listening. All the learning, intellect, pleasure (wholesome or not), luxury, relationships (healthy or not), skill, and success in the world won’t make us happy if that is where we’re seeking our happiness.

Solomon’s conclusion? “For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without [God]? For to a person who is good in his sight, he has given wisdom and knowledge and joy” (Ecclesiastes 2:25–26).

Only in the Lord do we have true joy. We don’t have to wait for the next stage, accomplishment, or experience in life to make us happy. It won’t work. We find our happiness now—right where we are—in seeking the Lord.

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