Meaningless! Meanignless! ...Everything is Meaningless!

Do any of you remember the amazing Walton Family? I was faithful fan, watching every single episode! The Walton family, consisting of John and Olivia, their seven children, and John's parents Zebulon "Zeb" Tyler and Esther Walton, struggles to make a decent life during the Great Depression and World War11. In almost each episode you saw the family sitting down together to eat a meal and then sit around the radio and listen to the evening program. And every night at the end of the episode you would hear, "Good-night, Mary Ellen." "Good-night, John Boy." Why am I recalling the Walton Family? Because if you look back, you see how far we've come...good and bad. Life may have been harder back then, having to work so hard to have anything. But they had something we don't have anymore; family, relationships, community, silence, and joy.

The last few weeks I have felt as if I can't keep this pace, or anyone around me can. This culture is devouring us till we break, physically and mentally.
My soul has been longing for silence. For quiet, still moments of nothing but my thoughts! I can't find that anywhere, whether it be by my own fault or not.
This is all stemming from a hard week I had. Nothing major, just little things that began piling up. I began seeking the Lord and finding that I couldn't hear him..just too much noise and busyness. I felt that I anytime there was that one moment is was snatched up quickly! Does anyone relate?
The text messages, Facebook, TV, the dishwasher, Ipod, the baby screaming above me, cars, distractions, and phone ringing non-stop! It never ended.
This brought me longing for the lifestyle of the Walton's! No dishwasher- you did it by hand and while talking with your family, no bazillion text messages a day-you took the time to write a letter and mail it. No internet-you read the newspaper together. No Ipod, you all sat around the radio...together....and listened.
Oh my soul longs for this again. For quiet. For meaningful relationships.
Is all this technology really a help or is it destroying us bit by bit? How do we win? How do we have a slower paced life? How do we hear the Spirit on a moment by moment basis?
I truly believe we are losing and I can't accept that! I went to a conference this weekend, which also fueled my longing for a quiet, slower lifestyle.
Here are some quick facts that broke my heart:
* Average dad spends 3 minutes of quality time with their children a day
* 87% of teens are online
*90% of ages 8-16 viewed pornography online (while doing homework)
*Americans, ages 13-18 spend 72 hours a week using electronic media (more than 10 hours everyday)
THIS makes me cry, want to give up, quit, stop trying, roll over and lose.
But I am called to fight the fight! Us as believer's in Jesus Christ are called to run the race! No matter how difficult.
We can't go back ( I want to sometimes) :) ...so how do we have the meaningful relationships with family, friends, and Christ?
So in my quest to seek Christ this week, seeking answers for a "Walton lifestyle" in the 21st century I have landed in Ecclesiastes.

¹²I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³And I applied myself by heart and mind to seek and search out by [human] ^a]">[a]wisdom all human activity under heaven. It is a miserable business which ^b]">[b]God has given to the sons of man with which to busy themselves.

¹⁴I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a striving after the wind and a feeding on wind.

-1:12-14

I was reading a commentary a couple days ago that said this,

Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin, the cause of all this vanity and misery; to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour.

Did you read that last part?... (to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour) Ah, my soul feels refreshed just reading that.

As I have been studying, reading, and reflecting on God's Word in Ecclesiastes I am beginning to realign some area's in my life. To take ownership and control that aspects of life that cause my craziness of noise. As Solomon says, it is all vanity. Without Christ, it is meaningless. All of Life is meaningless without Him! I need to hear the Spirit daily, moment by moment or I will be devoured. This is how I find rest amidst the craziness. The other night I stayed up late to pray for awhile, because I feel the night time is the only time where I sense moments of stillness. I have to make efforts and strive to go to the "mountains" to meet Him. And sometimes I do want to drive to the country and just sit the grass :)

As I am on my journey to hear the voice of God, to be still, and to let go of culture normalcy I remember the past but continue to move forward. Life is not lived in the past but in the here and now. As I wrestle with how to find true moments of quiet it begins by making choices. Such as, playing more card games with friends and family :), where true conversations flow, less internet, music, and more quality time with people. This is not easy. It is a fight up stream. But I am determined to have my "Walton Family" in this crazy life!

Hebrews: ^1-3Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.