Wisdom and Hope: A Poem About Ecclesiastes

Two years ago, I read through the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter by chapter, letting its words pierce my heart.

When I tell people that this is my favorite book of the Bible, it usually raises some questions.

I know, I know–The weight of its wisdom may seem a little too heavy, right? A little depressing, perhaps? But it can also feel incredibly validating, especially in the rough patches.

You have to consider the book’s musings with the understanding that it was written before the arrival of Christ. Before the world could fully see the promise of redemption.

Ultimately, this book pointed me back to Jesus. Everything changes when you look at this wisdom under the light of how our Savior will come to make all things new (Rev. 21:5).

Take Ecclesiastes 9:11, the verse that inspired me to read the entire book.

“The race is not to the swift.”

At a time when I had failed race after race, those words resonated with me.

“The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race . . . but time and chance happen to them all,” it says in the NLT. It’s still the verse I say to myself whenever my performance doesn’t match my expectations.

But “the race is not to the swift” takes on another meaning in the context of the gospel story.

Because then came a sacrifice that challenged the old standards of self-earned perfection. Then came a covenant that completely flipped the world’s understanding of success.

“The last will be first, and the first last,” this message proclaimed (Matthew 20:16).

And suddenly the race is not to the swift, but to the humble and faithful. To those who know their own weakness and are willing to depend on a Savior.

Jesus came with something new under the sun.

To understand what this new hope means for us, we must first feel the brokenness in the old.

To long for the world to come, we must first see today’s world with opened eyes.

It’s by breaking that we can learn and grow and beg to be made whole.

And when we see all that’s wrong under the sun, and then long for something more, we’re longing for the day that it will all be made right again.

Our Creator has placed eternity in our hearts (Eccl. 3:11).

Eternity–It’s what you were made for.

And God will make everything beautiful in its time (Eccl. 3). He’s going to make all things new (Rev. 21:5).

I hope that this poem will remind you of that.

innocence and wisdom

they say that innocence is bliss
and maybe that's why
as you get older
your heart breaks
for a world that is so broken

they say that innocence is bliss
but I wonder why King Solomon
chose wisdom
out of all that stood before him
all that lay under the sun

as you get older
you also get wiser
and your heart seems to break
under the weight
that comes with wisdom

they say that innocence is bliss
and maybe that's why Solomon
found despair in a world full of
empty winds and
nothing new under the sun

they say that innocence is bliss
but I wonder if you
have to break apart
so you can strive to be made whole
and feel the emptiness in wind
so you can chase after something more

I wonder if those
who are truly wise
know that instead of chasing
the wind it's better to feel
the joy of it blowing 
through your hair and
instead of watching
the sun set it's better to watch
it rise in the morning
and trust that there's more
than what's under the sun

they say that innocence is bliss
but I wonder if those
who are truly wise 
would say that wisdom should bring
hope