The book of Ecclesiastes is essentially an ancient diary that chronicles a variety of Solomon’s exploits. And despite his varied experiences, most of it reads like a dirge, beating a relentless drum to remind us of life’s futility.

Our experiences are not so different. All our attempts to find meaning are void, yes meaningless, apart from a relationship with God through Christ. No adventure, no achievement, no self-indulgence will satisfy the depth of our souls. Perhaps this is one of the subtler effects of sin. We are so far away from perfection that we cannot even imagine the life God intended us to have. Yet all the while, our souls seem to know perfection exists as we relentlessly search for a way out of our exile and back to Eden.

Jesus speaks to these longings: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NLT). His open arms urge us to stop our exhausting, aimless wanderings and find our peace in Him. Maybe that’s the message our souls need the most. When we make Him the object of our desire, we can be confident that He will give our lives all the meaning we are searching for.