You’re striving for something, but is it the right thing?

Have you ever been confused about something because you thought you heard one thing, but it turned out to be something else?

Carl Tucker, shared with Reader’s Digest such a story …

I was an air traffic controller stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan. One morning we picked up a Montana National Guard passenger aircraft. Instead of identifying the plane by its five-digit tail number, its pilot radioed, “Selfridge Approach, this is Pig Sty One.” As we were taught to refer to aircraft by whatever call sign the pilot used, the controller thereafter called the craft “Pig Sty One.” Just after touching down, the pilot contacted the tower.

“Selfridge,” he said, “our call sign is not ‘Pig Sty One.’ It is ‘Big Sky One,’ and we have the governor of Montana on board!”

With Montana being known as “Big Sky Country,” being called “Pig Sty” probably didn’t sit well with the governor!

It can be confusing when we think we hear one thing, but we really should have heard something else.

For example, many will tell you that “striving” for things in life is not a good thing to do, while others tell you there are some things we should diligently be striving for.

So which is it — should we be “striving” or not.

We should, BUT …

The “but” comes in because there are two kinds of “striving.” One is a futile chase after pleasures that leads to emptiness, the other is a holy pursuit of a life of faith and faithfulness.

The kind of striving that amounts to an empty churning that never accomplishes anything satisfying is what Solomon describes as part of his life’s research. Solomon was a king, he was the richest man alive, and he had unmatched wisdom given to him as a gift by God. He used all of those resources to explore fully the “pleasures of life,” striving to find something that would ultimately satisfy him. Here’s his research report:

“I said to myself, ‘Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the “good things” in life.’ But I found that this, too, was meaningless. So I said, ‘Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?’ After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless — like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere,” Ecclesiastes 2:1-11.

Solomon spared no expense striving after having and experiencing anything the world today (and then) would say a man would want. The result? “… it was all so meaningless — like chasing the wind …”

Such is empty, vain striving.

However, the Apostle Paul helps us understand there are some things in life the child of God should strive for …

“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,” Philippians 1:27 (NASB).

“We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me,” Colossians 1:28-29 (NASB).

Adding to Paul’s examples of striving is the writer of Hebrews, who first paints a picture of something to strive for before mentioning something to strive against:

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin,” Hebrews 12:1-4 (NASB).

There are lots of voices out there telling you to strive for this, or strive for that. We’re all striving for something, but is what you’re striving for the right thing?

Scotty