I met with a group of ladies at a senior living facility for Bible study a few days ago. During our discussion, one of them asked whether I had ever considered the meaning of life before I became a believer. I told her, “Yes, I gave it a lot of thought, and it caused me a lot of anguish.”
Like many, I desperately searched for fulfillment and purpose in temporary distractions and fleeting pleasures. At the same time, I wrestled with big questions: What’s the meaning of life? Why am I here? How can anyone find true happiness in this world? But my heart was hardened against God. I refused to consider that the answers could be found in him.
To illustrate how deeply this tormented me, I’ll share a story I’ve rarely told anyone.
When I was nineteen or twenty, I ended up with a handgun. The circumstances were ironic. I stole it from my roommate, who had confessed to feeling depressed and suicidal. I took the gun and hid it in my truck to keep him from harming himself.
Eventually, I found myself 800 miles away, alone, with his gun still in my truck. Late one night, I parked in a cemetery, and the gun lay on the passenger seat. I wasn’t clinically depressed. I wasn’t crying. I just sat calmly, staring at the gun, contemplating whether life was worth living. If it isn’t, why bother? I thought. I could end it all right here. But if life is worth living, why do I feel so dissatisfied?
Long before I ever heard of the secular philosopher Albert Camus, I reached the same bleak conclusion he did. I saw two options: take control of the meaningless situation by ending my life, or keep going and pretend life had a purpose. According to Camus, life itself is like pushing a heavy boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down, over and over again.
Camus believed life was meaningless. The choice, he said, was to either despair or rebel against that meaninglessness. His advice? Invent a reason to live. Pretend each day has a purpose. Embrace the delusion with a smile.
That’s the path I took. I hid the gun under my seat, left the cemetery, and resolved to endure life’s futility somehow. Looking back, I realize God spared me that night. Though I wasn’t ready to find my purpose in him, he was mercifully leading me to the day I would.
What Solomon knew that changes everything
This struggle brings us to Solomon’s reflections in Ecclesiastes. As we discussed last time, Solomon presents two competing worldviews. The first is a secular view that excludes God and eternity. This is Camus’ view. Everything is meaningless. All is vanity (Ecc 1:2). According to Ecclesiastes 1, life seems like an endless cycle of repetition, offering no ultimate satisfaction.
But in chapter 3, Solomon presents a different perspective. The cycles remain, the seasons still come and go, yet Solomon no longer despairs. In chapter 1, life is vain and wearisome. In chapter 3, it is purposeful, beautiful, and even joyful. What changed? The seasons are the same. The repetition is the same. So why does Solomon see it differently?
As I mentioned last time, the difference is twofold: God and eternity. Knowing God and knowing there is an eternity to come changes everything.
My goal in this study is to explore the granular details of everyday life—going to work, grocery shopping, morning routines, watching TV, and more. I want to consider how the Bible guides us in the most ordinary and mundane moments. But before we can get there, we need to lay a foundation. Think of it like Paul’s letters in the New Testament. Before addressing practical matters, he spends several chapters teaching the necessary theology behind them. That is what I am attempting to do here.
Solomon tells us that God and eternity change everything. Suddenly, washing dishes is not just washing dishes. Mowing the lawn is not just mowing the lawn. Personally, my least favorite household chore is cleaning up leaves in the fall. It feels like Ecclesiastes 1 brought to life.
What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? … All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing … What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done. (Ecclesiastes 1:3, 8-9)
By the time I start cleaning up leaves, it is usually cold and windy. I rarely get the satisfaction of seeing a clean yard because new leaves are falling as I work. By the next day, it often looks as if I did nothing at all. It feels like an exercise in futility.
So, how do God and eternity change that? I still have to clean up the leaves over and over. I still face the wind and the cold. How can God and eternity give meaning to such a repetitive chore? More importantly, how can they bring joy and satisfaction through it?
Listen again to Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecc 3:1). Further on, he says:
What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.
I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away. (Ecclesiastes 3:9-15)
Let us consider what Solomon says about God. This is the heart of the matter. Remember his conclusion in chapter 12: “Remember your Creator” (Ecc 12:1). This is Solomon’s key takeaway. More than anything, he wants us to know this: Remember God. Turn to him. If you want to find meaning and joy in life, you must turn to God.
Have you ever noticed how evangelistic the book of Ecclesiastes is? Solomon does not preach the gospel, nor does he explicitly mention Christ the Savior. He does not even address our need for salvation directly. He never refers to God by his covenant name, Yahweh, or as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead, he speaks of God in broad terms. His original audience would have understood that he was referring specifically to the God of Israel. Yet these aspects have led some to question whether Ecclesiastes truly belongs in the Bible.
I firmly believe it does. To understand why, we need to grasp Solomon’s message. His message is evangelistic at the most fundamental level. It resembles Paul’s approach in Athens. When Paul encountered the pagan Athenians, he realized they knew nothing of the true and living God, their Creator. So he said:
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. (Acts 17:24-27)
Do you see the similarity between Paul and Solomon? Neither begins by discussing sin or the need for salvation. They start at the ground level, affirming the existence of God.
Yet, neither of them speaks about God vaguely. Both emphasize that he is the Creator and sovereign over all things. Paul declares, “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” (Ac 17:26). Solomon affirms, “Whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it” (Ecc 3:14). God is the one who gives us our work. He is the one who makes “everything beautiful in its time” (Ecc 3:11). Both Paul and Solomon point to a sovereign Creator who actively sustains and directs the universe.
This distinction is crucial. Most people believe in some kind of god. The Athenians believed in many gods. The deist believes in a divine creator who is distant and uninvolved. The deist’s god set the universe in motion and then left for a permanent vacation.
Solomon is not saying that life becomes meaningful simply because someone believes in a god. This is not Albert Camus’ advice to invent meaning by pretending there is a god. No, Solomon is pointing us to the God—Yahweh, the self-existent and sovereign Lord. He is God Most High, God Almighty, the Everlasting God. He is the God who provides, who heals, who grants peace, and who commands the armies of heaven.
The attributes of God that transform everyday life
Solomon is speaking of the God of the Bible. What do we know about him? Let’s consider a few of his attributes.
God is eternal
From everlasting to everlasting, God is God. The psalmist declares, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Ps 90:2). God’s existence is not bound by time. He is not a temporary part of creation. He is the eternal Creator who brought all things into existence, including time itself. He always has been, he is, and he always will be.
God’s eternal nature means his perspective stretches far beyond our limited horizon. We see only the short term. Our vision is filled with the mundane tasks of the week ahead or the seemingly meaningless chores of the day. But God sees eternity. He knows exactly how everything, both big and small, fits into his timeless, sovereign plan.
When Solomon tells us to remember our Creator, we should remember that he holds eternity in his hands. And if we belong to him, he holds us as well. As Deuteronomy says, “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Dt 33:27).
God is sovereign
One of the key themes in Ecclesiastes is the sovereign providence of God. In chapter 3, Solomon describes the seasons and rhythms of life as being established by God: “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecc 3:11). Nothing falls outside of his sovereign rule. He governs the affairs of nations, the changing of seasons, and the daily routines of our lives. The psalmist declares, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Ps 115:3).
It is this sovereignty that gives meaning to our everyday lives. Without God’s sovereign hand, life’s rhythms would be, as Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 1, nothing more than an endless, purposeless cycle. The sun would rise and set without meaning. Our chores would be pointless drudgery.
But when we remember our Creator, we acknowledge that he orchestrates these rhythms. He places us where we are and when we are, according to his wise design. Therefore, the predictable routines of life are not empty. They are pieces of an extraordinary plan God is unfolding throughout history. He uses our ordinary activities—cleaning, cooking, working, reading, and resting—to accomplish a purpose far greater than we can see at the moment.
We may not understand all the details of his plan. Solomon affirms, “We cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” (Ecc 3:11). Yet, whatever God is doing, Solomon reminds us, “Whatever God does endures forever” (Ecc 3:14).
God is holy
God is perfectly holy. He is morally pure and set apart from all creation. The angels cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa 6:3).
To say God is holy is to say he is utterly unique and transcendent. He is not a greater version of a human being. Rather, we are made in his image. He is infinitely above us—the Creator who stands outside of creation, even as he upholds it.
This truth humbles us. It reminds us that he is worthy of our reverence and obedience. But more specifically, how does God’s holiness transform the ordinary and mundane aspects of our lives?
God’s holiness teaches us that our work, routines, and daily lives are not so-called secular spaces where God is unconcerned with what we do or how we do it. All of life is lived under his gaze. His holiness demands that we live every moment before his face. We cannot compartmentalize our lives into “sacred” and “secular.” Our worship on Sunday morning is connected to our dishwashing on Monday evening because it is the same holy God who is present in both settings.
When we remember our Creator, we remember that he is holy and worthy of our reverence—not just in church, but in our homes, offices, grocery stores, and backyards.
God is good and merciful
The God of the Bible is not only sovereign and holy but also infinitely good, kind, and merciful. The psalmist declares, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Ps 34:8).
We serve a God who loves his people, provides for their needs, and cares for them with tender mercy. He feeds the sparrows and clothes the lilies. Jesus reassures us, “Are you not of more value than they?” (Mt 6:26).
When we know our Creator as good and merciful, even the ordinary activities of life bring a sense of comfort and security. The God who calls us to remember him is not harsh or distant. He is a loving Father who draws near. He forgives our sins through Christ. He sanctifies our hearts by the Holy Spirit. He leads us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even when life feels repetitive and tiresome, we can lean on his goodness. He truly cares for us.
Paul reminds us, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good” (Ro 8:28). This truth encompasses the monotony of work, endless chores, and ordinary routines. All of it is working together for good according to the wise plan of our good God.
God is omnipresent and omniscient
God’s presence fills every corner of existence. We cannot escape him. As the psalmist asks, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” (Ps 139:7). The answer is clear: nowhere.
This means no moment is too small or insignificant for God’s notice. Every second of every day unfolds before his eyes. He sees you folding laundry. He knows your heart when you sit at your desk. He understands your struggles as you balance the demands of family and work. More than that, he knows your frustrations and your joys—better than you know them yourself.
God’s omnipresence and omniscience assure us that none of our labors are wasted. He sees. He cares. He is there, working all things for our good and his glory. This transforms the mundane into a divine encounter. We do not need to chase mountaintop experiences to feel close to God. He is with us in the quiet, ordinary moments.
When we remember our Creator, we can draw comfort from his abiding presence. We can learn to commune with him as we move through our daily routines. And that, ultimately, is how we find joy in those routines.
The purpose behind our everyday lives
We have considered just a few of God’s attributes: he is eternal, sovereign, holy, good, omnipresent, and omniscient. We could explore even more, and each truth about God would continue to shape how we view life and approach our daily activities. But now, I want to shift focus slightly and consider how God created us. Why did he design us the way he did, and what does that mean for our ordinary lives?
The Bible makes it clear from the beginning that God created us in his image. Genesis says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Ge 1:27).
Being created in God’s image means we were designed to reflect his character, represent his rule, and relate to him personally. Genesis also shows that God created us as workers and stewards. He placed Adam and Eve in the garden, not to enjoy it passively, but to cultivate and care for it: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Ge 2:15).
This reveals that work and ordinary responsibilities are not consequences of sin. The need to work and manage the world around us is part of God’s original design for humanity. Of course, sin has corrupted our work, making it more difficult and frustrating. Genesis 3 shows how the fall brought toil and hardship. But work itself remains good. Before the fall, work was a delight—a joyful participation in God’s creative order. Even now, though marred by sin, work is still a good gift through which we reflect God’s image. We image God as we bring order out of chaos, nurture life, and care for creation. We image God in the ordinary because that is exactly what he made us to do.
This is a concept I will revisit in a future lesson, but it’s important to remember that the majority of Jesus’ life on earth was not spent in public ministry. For many years, he worked as a carpenter in Nazareth. He did ordinary things: eating meals, conversing with neighbors, and fulfilling daily responsibilities. In everything he did, he demonstrated perfect faithfulness, patience, humility, and love. Jesus was sinless, but more than that, he dignified the ordinary. Our Creator, in human form, showed us how to live according to his original design. He showed us that our daily tasks, when done in submission to God, have eternal significance.
God’s eternal plan includes the ordinary. Most of God’s people throughout history have lived ordinary lives by human standards. Few wielded great power or left their mark on the pages of world history. But God cared just as much for the poor widow in her humble home as he did for King David in his palace. Through the prophet Micah, the Lord says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic 6:8). Walking humbly with God happens in the everyday details of life.
Paul reinforces this idea in his letter to the Colossians: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Col 3:23). Notice he doesn’t say, “Whenever you do spiritual things, work heartily.” He says, “Whatever you do.” Your career, hobbies, household chores, volunteer work, and even your recreation—all are to be done for the Lord.
Why? Because we remember our Creator. We remember that we serve him in every aspect of life. We remember that he sees us, cares for us, and directs our steps. We remember that all of life is part of his eternal plan, working for his glory and our good.
Cultivating trust in and remembrance of God
It’s important to note that when Solomon encourages us to remember our Creator, he means more than simply acknowledging that God exists. First, we must understand that we are talking about the one true and living God. Second, we must do more than acknowledge his existence. As James reminds us, “Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (Jas 2:19).
To remember our Creator is to sincerely trust him and his plans. It means living as though his attributes are not abstract theological concepts, but living realities that shape our day-to-day lives. To truly remember God is to rest in his sovereignty, believing that he uses even our daily routines as instruments of his gracious purpose.
How do we cultivate this kind of remembrance and trust in God? Here are five key practices to consider.
Submit to God’s Word
The Bible is God’s revelation of himself. If we want to truly know God and understand his purposes for the ordinary, we must immerse ourselves in Scripture.
Solomon acknowledges that we cannot fully grasp God’s entire plan: “He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” (Ecc 3:11). But that does not mean we are left in the dark. God reveals exactly what we need to know about who he is and what he requires of us. By regularly reading and studying his Word, we learn to see life from his perspective. We learn to trust him even when we cannot see the whole picture. We learn to follow his commands, even in the smallest affairs of life. As the psalmist says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 119:105).
Pray continually
Prayer keeps us aware of God’s presence and his involvement in all things. Through prayer, we acknowledge both his presence and our dependence on him. We say, “Lord, I know you are here. I know you care. I know you have a purpose for my life. Help me trust you, obey you, and serve you.”
Prayer transforms even simple chores into moments of fellowship with our Creator. Paul encourages us to “pray without ceasing” (1Th 5:17). This does not mean we are on our knees every moment, but that we cultivate a habit of continual dependence on God. It is a perpetual awareness of his presence and help. This habit helps us remember our Creator throughout our daily lives.
Cultivate gratitude
Gratitude is a powerful antidote to the despair and frustration that arise from viewing life as meaningless. When we regularly thank God for what he provides—the food on our table, the clothes on our backs, the work that sustains us, the relationships that bring joy—we affirm that these blessings are not random. They are gifts from his hand. As James reminds us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (Jas 1:17).
Gratitude helps us recognize that even the most ordinary blessings are expressions of God’s kindness. This perspective turns wearisome chores into acts of stewardship. We care for what God has generously provided.
Reflect often on the gospel
Ecclesiastes does not present the gospel clearly or directly, but the fuller revelation of Scripture shows us Christ, our Savior—the one who reconciles us to God. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Christ secures not only our eternal salvation, which is significant on its own but also a life lived under the light of God’s favor. If we are in Christ, we are no longer under God’s wrath because of our sin. Instead, we are adopted as his children and made co-heirs with Christ.
This truth transforms even the most mundane elements of life. Ordinary moments become opportunities to glorify God and grow in grace. In Christ, even our most tedious labors become offerings of love and obedience.
Keep eternity in view
Solomon reminds us that God has placed eternity in our hearts (Ecc 3:11). As believers, we know this world is not our final home. We anticipate a new heaven and a new earth, where we will live forever with our Creator (2Pe 3:13). This eternal perspective changes how we view the ordinary. The routines and chores of this life are temporary, but they also carry eternal significance. Our faithfulness in the present demonstrates our trust in God’s eternal plan.
Infusing the ordinary with eternal purpose
Paul writes, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1Co 10:31). Could anything be more mundane than eating and drinking? Yet Paul insists that even these acts can glorify God. How? By remembering our Creator. He designed the world and our place in it. He provides food and drink to sustain us. He gives us bodies to serve him. When we engage in these activities, we are not wasting time or chasing empty pleasures. We are fulfilling our purpose: to know God and glorify him.
Remembering our Creator is not a passive acknowledgment. It is an active, trusting posture of the heart. It shapes our attitudes, actions, and aspirations. It leads us to worship God in all things, pray continually, study his Word, cultivate gratitude, and rest in Christ. When we live this way, even the simplest tasks are infused with divine purpose.
Solomon ends where he began: “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity” (Ecc 12:8). But that is not the final word. The Narrator concludes with this: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecc 12:13).
To fear God is to acknowledge his attributes—his sovereignty, holiness, and goodness—and to live accordingly. It is to trust him and follow his ways, even when life feels repetitive or difficult. This fear, or reverence, leads us to keep his commandments as an act of faith and obedience to the one who formed us and sustains us.
In other words, bring God into the center of your daily routines.
When you rise in the morning, remember that God gave you breath.
When you go to work, remember that God gave you the ability to work.
When you perform household chores, remember that God gave you a family, a home, and the strength to care for them.
When you share a meal, remember that God provided it.
When you rest at the end of the day, remember that God grants you sleep.
These activities, ordinary and commonplace as they are, remind us of our Creator’s presence, kindness, and sovereignty.
This is how we find meaning in life. We do not pretend life has meaning. We do not rebel against futility by embracing a delusion. Instead, we embrace reality—the reality that God is real, present, and working out his plan. We trust that plan and the one who made it. We find our purpose in him, and even the simplest tasks become stepping stones on the path to his eternal kingdom.
When we remember our Creator, we discover joy, contentment, and meaning, even in the seemingly mundane moments of everyday life.
Recommended Reading
Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work by Timothy Keller
Ordinary: Sustainable Faith in a Radical, Restless World by Michael Horton
The Doctrine of the Christian Life (A Theology of Lordship) by John M. Frame
Share this post