Vanity, vanity, everything is vanity.

I’m not sure what you call it, but my generation has branded it, “burnout.” It seems like it’s a (un)natural by-product of the promise that if we put in enough work we’ll gain the success we’re longing for. So we rise and grind day in and day out no matter the cost. Each is maintained in an unsustainable lifestyle that drains us emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Hard work is good and it has done good. Child mortality is down, diseases are being cured, access to banking and industry is expanding into developed countries, the internet of deas is enabling more people in more places to be educated. Yet still, in many Western countries where we have the greatest opportunity for the most happiness, it seems like we’re suffering in a deep valley of sorrow. High addiction rates, low trust of institutions, plummeting mental health, skyrocketing debt, anxiety is near and peace is distant. We’re working hard and doing good for others. But can’t shake the angst.

Many have taken up to answer this question in 2019. But it’s not a new one. It’s the same question that the ancient King Solomon asked. He was the kind of elite that would make our 1% look like the 99%. He had the kind of wealth that might have made Jeff Bezos or Warrant Buffet look like a minimum wage retail clerk. He gained everything we are grinding. His wisdom has been heeded for centuries. We would do well to turn our attention to it again.

The memoirs of Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes is trying to answer a question — What gain does a worker have from his toil?

After listing off all his enviable accomplishments, Solomon talks about rhytms of time. He says that most of them make sense. There is a time for birth and death, a time for laughing and mourning, a time for planting and harvesting, a time for war and peace. Each of these rhythms might elicit a different response, but we can at least understand how they fit together. Yet there is a sense, specifically in our work, that we can’t understand. A sense of desire of transcendence — that our work is someone connected to God’s divine work but we don’t know how they fit together. His conclusion was, “Yeah, that was on purpose.”

Solomon said that as long as we are doing our work in our own effort for our own goals it’s not going to make sense and our soul will be marked with the angst of vanity. We’ll feel that sense of transcendence like there is something out there that connects all of these pieces together. But without acknowledging our work in light of God’s work it will never connect. But we don’t have to leave the puzzle unfinished. He concludes his memoirs with a simple prescription: “The end of the matter, all has been heard, fear God and obey his commandments. For this is the whole duty of man.”

The Christian Scriptures teach that God is a creative worker. His work was making this world and everything in it. Humanity was invited to enjoy the goodness of his work and to cultivate that work so that more people could enjoy it in more places according to the way that God created it. Yet, humanity stepped out of harmony with God and started to use and abuse the goodness of his creation for their own benefit. That fractured our place with God. And so, now our work is fractured. So even though our work might create good for others the angst in our soul remains because we’ve been fractured from our position with God. Solomon’s simple prescription is an invitation to turn back to God in humble reverence and follow his way rather than our own. That’s our true humanity, that’s the value of our work that creates joy and purpose — when it’s down in harmony with God’s way.

And that’s why the life and teaching of Jesus is central to the message of Christianity. His life is the image of true humanity marked by true joy and peace. His followers believed that living by faith in Jesus, the Son of God, they would be reunited them into the harmony of a working relationship (and a family relationship) with God the Father. This is where we need to start our work: awe of God, faith in Jesus, obedience to his word. Here, our work is connected with the transcendence of God. Here, exhaustion still happens. But, here, our work has meaning and purpose.

When you gaze at the state of the world we live in, what sense do you feel in your soul? I know, this sounds a little melodramatic. When I look at some aspects of our world there is actually a lot that makes me excited. Life expectancy is up. Child mortality is down. Access to vital medicine and personal banking is expanding into more and more developing countries. But at the same time, a quick glance at world news makes me wonder why everything seems so chaotic. How could governments that stood firm for centuries start collapsing? Why are so many people dying from opioid abuse? Why are rural communities still without clean drinking water? If everything is getting better why does it feel like everyone is worse off? How can we find hope?

Actually, this where hope lives. Hope can find a home in our hearts even through the chaos because we worship a promise-making, promise-keeping God.

Abraham’s life is the model of faith and hope for all followers of Jesus. God promised to bless him, make his name great, and make his family into a great nation that would bless all nations. That was his hope. But to have this hope required that he would walk by faith. In the uncertainty of his future, he had a reason for hope because he trusted in his promise-making, promise-keeping God. This is our reason for hope too. The stability for our times isn’t in the ‘right’ government being elected, finding the right friends, getting your degree, or cashing out your pension. Hope can find a home in our hearts even when we have none of these things. In the chaos of our times and the uncertainty of our future, we have a reason for hope because we have a promise-making, promise-keeping God who you can trust today.

Part 1 of 7 of a series on Biblical hope originally posted on the Hope Bible Church Markham newsletter.

She has been pleasant

Her mother held my hand and we waited. Anxious anticipation scurried through our intertwined fingers. Then, from the moment Caroline was unveiled to the world and to our eyes, she has been pleasant.

Her gaze, her touch, her gentle cries, her welcomed presence have all been a pleasant addition to the joy of our family.

Early into our marriage and even into Janney’s pregnancy, some others had been perplexed at our family choices.

You’re married? But you’re so young!

You’re having a baby? But you’re just a baby!

What value does anyone gain from the toil of their labour? It seems that for my generation, the art of family has been supplanted by the contest for a career. A writer in the Bible considered each of his life’s endeavours, and his success in them all was unmatched. Yet still his conclusion was that the sum total of all his par excellence achievements was – utter vanity.

One in particular has gripped my attention as a new father:

Again, I saw vanity under the sun:one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business – Ecclesiastes 4:7–8

How many acres of ready-to-harvest-fields of joy may have been left to spoil because we only aim to spend our riches on ourselves?

My wife and I worship a God who is rich, yet though he was rich, he chose to become poor, so that by His poverty we might inherit his riches. If we have anything to share together as a family that will yield joy, it is first this good news.

Caroline Janney Eunhye Lock. Born January 17, 2018. Caroline means “song of happiness”. Janney is to honour her mother. Eunhye is given for her Korean heritage meaning “Grace”. Lock is her family name passed down from Jason, from David, and from Wilbur.

Becky stopped immediately in front of him, stood upright, and stared directly into his eyes. “He’s already having a bad day, you’re just going to make it worse.” Before she could get all her words out, Carl had already swerved around her, chuckling his way towards the last row of desks against the wall.

“Calm down Becky! We’re just having some fun, aren’t we Steven?!” Carl planted two firm pats on Steven’s narrow shoulders and sat down beside his smaller peer with a thud. A few heads turned, but not long enough to care. Carl slouched down and cocked his head, trying to look up through the glasses and into eyes of the classmate who rarely looked back. After a short pause and a deep breath, Steven reached for the zipper of his lunch bag. But Carl got there first.

“Soooo buddy, what did Mom pack for us today?!” He stood back up, began unzipping the lunch bag, and walked towards Becky starring her down with a smug smile. She didn’t smile back. “Look at that Beck, Ham and Cheese again! Wait, what’s this?” Carl’s grin widened in amazement. He pulled out a second sandwich and, like a championship trophy, he lifted it high above his head before all the eyes that weren’t paying attention. “Ladies and gentleman, twooo Ham and Cheese sandwicheeesss!” He slowly began strutting back towards Steven. “Looks like Mom realized skinny Steven needs to start fattening up.”

“That’s. Enough. Carl. STOP.”

Becky took two steps forward, but her command was not heeded. Carl dropped the lunch bag and all it’s contents back into Steven’s possession. Slowly, he leaned all his weight on both palms planted square in the middle of the desk.

“What’s with the second sandwich? You finally ready to beef up and become a man?”

Another short pause, another long breath. Steven kept his chin low as he picked up the second sandwich and extended it towards Carl.

“I asked my Mom to pack it today.” His voice quivered. “I wanted to share it with you.”

“What?!”

Carl heard exactly what was said. Steven lifted his chin and his eyes towards the aggressor.

“I was hoping we could be friends.”

Inspired by the song “Gonna Be” by Origin ft. Ebony Bones.

When Mary heard Steven shriek, she dropped the groceries and turned to follow the distressed voice leaving the refrigerator door wide open.

“I already told you. This…” Mary’s hair whipped around her neck as she turned the corner and abruptly stopped to see her two sons. “… is the engine. It goes at the front. The caboose goes at the back.”

Mary slowly approached the distraught boy. Why wasn’t he playing with the new toys she bought him? Even before she got down on her knees beside him, she knew that Steven had seen her walking over.

“What’s wrong sweetie?” Mary clasped her hands over his while he tried to fiddle with a piece of the train track. He didn’t look up, but she could see the quiver in his lip.

“He was doing it wrong”

“I thought Peter was having fun. Why aren’t you playing with Buzz?”

“He put … at the front … and the engine … and I …”

“Steven, look at me.” He did. Mary had to take a deep breath. Everyone said he had her eyes. The same eyes, the same expressions. “You’re a big boy now. You’re my big boy. It was so kind of you to share your old toys with Peter. But if you are going to play with your little brother, you have to be kind. Can you do that for me?”

“I guess…” She saw her son look back down and slowly turn his head towards the train set.

“… but he was doing it all wrong.”

Steven quickly grabbed the trains away from his little brother. He couldn’t play with the new toys Mom bought him. Why was Peter doing it all wrong?

“I told you already. This…” He grabbed the smooth, wooden train cart at the back of the line and switched it with the car at the front. “… is the engine. It goes at the front. The caboose goes at the back.”

Steven looked back up at Peter. Why was he smiling? He was about to tell him one more time before he heard a familiar voice.

“Whats wrong sweetie?” Even before Mom got down on her knees beside him, Steven saw her walking over. Mom clasped her hands over his while he tried to fiddle with a piece of the train track. He didn’t look up. Didn’t she see what was happening?

“He was doing it all wrong.”

“I thought Peter was having fun. Why aren’t you playing with Buzz?”

“He put … at the front … and the engine … and I …”

“Steven, look at me.” He did. Mom took a deep breath. “You’re a big boy now. You’re my big boy. It was so kind of you to share your old toys with Peter. But if you are going to play with your little brother, you have to be kind. Can you do that for me?”

“I guess… ” Steven looked back down and slowly turned his head towards the train set.

“… but he was doing it all wrong.”

Mary walked through the front door and let out a deep sigh. The straps of her purse slipped off her shoulder nearly as fast as the day had slipped away from her. She took off her shoes, hung up her jacket, and slowly walked towards the kitchen on her aching feet, when the sight of dishes brought her to a halt.

Her eyes sunk to the tiled floor and let out a sigh. Then she lifted them up towards another mountain she wasn’t expecting to climb today. The sleeves started to roll up as she took steps forward. But before the final curl of the cuff, Mary caught glimpse of a neatly folded piece of paper, perched at the peak of the mess. It was inscribed with the characters: “You & Me…”

Mary’s head turned to the right. Her left hand tried to conceal a smile, but her darting eyes revealed the spark of joy. She took hold of the paper, carefully unfolded it, and leaned back against the counter. Her eyes peered down and read first line. But they quickly followed her whole head back up towards to ceiling. She could not contain a blissful chuckle. The handwritten characters invited her back. Her right arm braced her left waist and she transferred her weight to the opposite foot.

As she kept reading, she kept smiling. Eye lashes became like butterflies. Both cheeks like rip pomegranates. A gentle bite of her lower lip revealed sparkling starlight. She wished the letter would linger on longer. Alas, it came to end the setting of the sun.

A tear fell down as her eyes lifted up again. Mary held the parchment close to her chest with both hands and enjoyed a peaceful pause. She gently folded the letter back over it’s original creases and delicately placed it at a distance from the mess.

With her cuffs finally curled, and having wiped away the leaking joy, she resolved to summit one more peak and fix her eyes on the things above.