You’re never too old to learn, nor too young. Recently I was volunteering at kindergarten camp in our local school district. Because of ongoing construction it was held at the intermediate school building. As I was roaming the halls at the tail end of a snake of kindergarteners I saw some signs on the wall, and one of them in particular caught my eye.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The text was simple: “I can learn from others.” It stood out to me because years ago I was told by one of my sons that my experience was of no use to him, he couldn’t learn from me. Rather, he had to make his own mistakes. Granted, it has never stopped me from imparting my wisdom to him, or his brother, but that’s another story.<\/p>\n
I’m leading a Bible Study at church for the men, and we’re working through the book of Ecclesiastes. If you’re not familiar with it, it is the writings of the self-proclaimed wisest and richest man on the earth, and no, it is not someone who is still living today. It was written roughly 2500-3000 years ago, depending on your source. The autobiographical details in the book lead us to believe it was written by Solomon, but there are those who disagree, and the author never specifically identifies himself. I think the point of the book was to give us the benefit of the author’s experience. He details all he has done, learned, and seen, so we don’t have to do it. After all, he had all the resources he needed at his disposal, and he spared no expense. He looked at everything under the sun, with all the wisdom and education the world had to offer. And at the end of each day, after every step in his journey, he concluded that life\u00a0 under the sun was futile, like chasing after the wind.<\/p>\n
I like what Warren W. Wiersbe said in his book “Be Satisfied.”<\/p>\n
\nSolomon experimented with life and discovered that there was no lasting satisfaction in possessions, pleasures, power, or prestige. He had everything, yet his life was empty! There is no need for you and me to repeat these experiments. Let\u2019s accept Solomon\u2019s conclusions and avoid the heartache and pain that must be endured when you experiment in the laboratory of life. These experiments are costly, and one of them could prove fatal.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
We can learn from Solomon’s wisdom more than he ever learned. He repeatedly asked the question “What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” Jesus would ask a similar question in Matthew 16:26 (and also Mark 8:36 and Luke 9:25) when He says “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” The answer to both is nothing. There is no profit, no gain, under the sun. Jesus would go on to say the only gain to be had is through Him, in spending your life for His sake. Then, and only then, will you save your life and find meaning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You’re never too old to learn, nor too young. Recently I was volunteering at kindergarten camp in our local school district. Because of ongoing construction it was held at the intermediate school building. As I was roaming the halls at the tail end of a snake of kindergarteners I saw some signs on the wall,… <\/p>\n