The Pursuit of Pleasure

Ecclesiastes 2

This passage is about pleasures "under the sun," or worldly pleasures.  The writer sought to test his heart with pleasure to, "find out what is good." (v. 1b).  He indulged in every kind of pleasure and was left saying in verses 24-25, "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work.  This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?"   I'm reminded of a sermon I heard not too long ago about the pursuit of idols.  How we spend our entire lives chasing something - wealth, happiness, love, contentment, friendship, acceptance, pleasure, fame, status...   Those that get what they think they desire almost always crumble.  Think of lottery winners.  How many times have you heard of their demise?  It's like they chased the idol of wealth, got what they wished for, and it turned out it was nothing they desired.   Or those in Hollywood.  It's so difficult to "make it" in the acting world and some spend their entire lives trying to be seen.  And a select few do make it - many of those absolutely fall apart once they do.  Think of the scandals, suicides, drug use, etc. we are constantly reading about.  Our hearts have a God-sized hole and we use all kinds of other things to try to fill out - only coming up empty...

Today's assignment:
1.  What pleasures - big and small, evil and seemingly innocent - have you pursued in the past week?
- shopping at target (clothes, make up, baby stuff), 12-month pictures for Holden, zoo trip and season passes, hanging with my best friend, out to eat this weekend, new toys for Holden, new shoes purchase online, dessert, soda, movies at home with Justin, new swing for Holden

2.  What were your motives - good or bad - for pursuing and engaging in those pleasures?  Dig deep and be honest: What meaning were you attempting to get?
- I think shopping fills a void for me a lot of the time.  It's a boredom filler and gives me a temporary spike in adrenaline.  Especially since Holden has been born, my favorite thing is shopping for him.  I love the idea of getting something new for him.  I think it all started when I was little.  My parents were divorced and I went back and forth between my parents houses every week.  My daddy was particularly well off and when things were going badly with my mom, daddy would take me shopping. It got my mind off of the big stuff I was too little to understand.  I remember vividly shopping for new clothes and barbies.  I remember the feeling of happiness and how shopping always made a really bad day so much better.  My motives for shopping this past week varied.  Some purchases were selfish, some were necessary; I saw God's blessings in some pleasures and other times I completely disregarded Him.

3.  What does it mean that you pursue pleasure?  In other words, what lies does pleasure whisper in your ear?
- Pleasure promises an escape from a crappy day or a pick-me-up when I'm bored.  Pleasure tells me that the happy feeling I get when I buy something is real.  Pleasure whispers that I need it all the time.  Pleasure tells me I deserve it...

Today's study encourages me to really examine every pleasure I pursue by considering my motive behind it.  That's a tall order.  But it's good stuff.  I pray that God changes my heart so that I can pursue pleasure in Him.  I want to delight in what He delights in.  Like the teacher in Ecclesiastes says, I know that the rest is all a smoke screen anyway.