LIE: No matter what I do, nothing changes

Lie:      No matter what I do, nothing changes.

Truth: Actions (and in-actions) have consequences, but eventually everything changes.

That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there anything of which it may be said,
“See, this is new”?
It has already been in ancient times before us. — Ecclesiastes 1:9–10

In one sense of course, Solomon was right — there is nothing new under the sun. The generations, the cycles of the sun, the winds, the waters, they all continue their cyclical courses; but in another sense, everything is constantly being renewed. Yes, each generation has its births and deaths, its marriages and children, its coming and going. Yet each generation, each person is uniquely and constantly changing – one of life’s most perplexing ironies.

But we feel Solomon’s weariness; we understand his worldly cynicism. He, in his exalted position as king, ‘had seen it all.’ We can almost feel his quiet despair: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). And “of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh” (12:12). He concluded the whole matter by saying:

Fear God and keep his commandments
For this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil. — Ecclesiastes 12:13–14

It appears that Solomon’s idolatries and indulgences had drained his joys away. Life for the king, even in all his splendor, had grown tired.

Does this seem odd to you? With all that was available to him, all his opportunities, the riches, the parties, the learning, how could he have gotten tired of it? The answer: in the same way that we grow tired. I count at least three ways:

1  We sink (or rise) to the level of our expectations. Hope is an essential and powerful force; its presence is a great motivator, but its absence is a great de-motivator. But more precisely, we all hope or expect something, even if it’s ‘more of the same’ or to somehow ‘get by.’ Regardless, many of us today, if we’re honest, don’t expect much from life. Few have great aspirations or any aspirations at all. Few believe that any real opportunities exist. Cynicism today is at epidemic levels. Most have doubts and fears that keep them playing it safe (see the third point below for more on that). Our ‘hopes’ become self-fulfilling prophecies. If all we expect to do is get by, then that is precisely what we will do, and no more.

2  We compare and find we can’t compete with the lives we see dramatized on TV or other media. In traditional TV dramas, in so-called ‘reality TV,’ and in social media, producers glamorize their ‘stars,’ both the protagonists and the villains. Their svelte, handsome bodies fill the screen and we soak it in. For sixty minutes at a time (one episode) we bathe ourselves in their luster, imagining/projecting ourselves into their world, and then, when it’s over, we shuffle off to bed, numbing ourselves to our apparently dead, incomparable normality.

A passive and steady diet of this works its way into us and, if not arrested, causes a slow, internal death. No wonder we give up our hopes for any significant change. The only life worth living (or so we think) is the one we, for a few fleeting moments, vicariously participate in.

3  We play it safe. For a variety of reasons we end up taking few risks in life. Consequently our lives become narrow and predictable. Not that a simple life is bad. No, simple is good; but often simple turns to narrow if the simple life is not received as a gift from God. That is, a narrow and predictable life is what we accept passively. It’s a state of little real interaction with people, a refusal to get out of our comfort zones, and a refusal to step out in faith when God speaks. Jesus warned us, “If you save your life you’ll lose it; but if you lose your life, for my sake, you’ll find it.”

So many live on the dangled edge of despair while entertaining this lie that nothing will change. But nothing could be further from the truth. The life that God has for us is full of life-changing goodness. Truly it’s a battle of faith worth seeking.

See also the introduction to this category: Lies attacking our self-understanding.