Caelie Wilkes

Pointless

Caelie Wilkes recently shared her story on Facebook about a plant she had
been nurturing for two years: "I've had this beautiful succulent for about
two years now. I was so proud of this plant. It was full: beautiful
coloring, just an overall perfect plant. I had it up in my kitchen window.
I had a watering plan for it. If someone else tried to water my succulent, I
would get so defensive because I just wanted to keep good care of it. I
absolutely loved my succulent."

If this plant was so beautiful, why is she speaking of this plant in the
past tense?

When she decided to transplant the plant to a new pot, she made a shocking
discovery: the plant was made of plastic!

"I put so much love into this plant!" Wilkes wrote in frustration. "I
washed its leaves. [I] tried my hardest to keep it looking its best, and
it's completely plastic! How did I not know this? I pull it from the
container [to find that] it's sitting on Styrofoam with sand glued to the
top!"

"I feel like these last two years have been a lie," Wilkes concluded.*

Wilkes' experience reminds us that we can often give ourselves to pursuits
that often prove to be pointless and unfulfilling.

Consider a case study. Read the book of Ecclesiastes about a "preacher's"
search for meaning and fulfillment in the things that this world has to
offer. He tried relationships with many different women. He tried
purchasing the best things that money could buy and he, King Solomon, had
LOTS of money. He tried "living it up" with lots of wine, women, and song.
What did he discover in each of these pursuits? "Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Preacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless"
(Ecclesiastes 1:2). Solomon discovered that trying to find meaning and
fulfillment in the things of the world is like spending two years watering
and nurturing a plastic plant!

At the end of his search, Solomon came to this conclusion: "Let us hear the
conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this
is man's all" (12:13).

Solomon's conclusion points to the truly meaningful, fulfilling, and eternal
life that is found in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I have come that they may
have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). This
"abundant life" does not refer to the abundance of things that this world
has to offer (cf. Luke 12:15), but to the greater, spiritual, and eternal
blessings that only Christ can give - things like peace that passes all
understanding (Philippians 4:6-7), forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7),
and eternal life in heaven (John 14:1-3). Jesus died on the cross for our
sins so that we could enjoy these greater and eternal blessings.

God will save from sin and give eternal life to those who place their faith
and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His
Word (1 John 1:7-9).

Trying to find meaning and fulfillment in worldly pursuits is like watering
a plastic plant; it's pointless, meaningless. Focus your life on that which
is life indeed: the abundant, eternal life that is found in Jesus.

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from "Woman discovers plant she's been watering for
two years is actually plastic" by Michael Hollan, www.foxnews.com.