When Everything You Thought You Wanted Isn't Enough

Are you goal-oriented, or more of a laid-back, see-where-life-takes-you type?

Goal-oriented people enjoy a daily checklist, whereas someone like me prefers to just go with the flow. My favorite days are the ones where I wake up with no agenda, plan, or idea of what the day holds. I have the freedom to decide how I will spend my time, and I find that really fun and freeing.

That said, as a self-proclaimed go-with-the-flow type, I will admit I do make myself write checklists, especially for work-related duties. Without the list, I would absolutely lag behind and not accomplish what I need to. I have learned to embrace the checklist!

Somewhere along the way, though, I noticed the list had stopped being a tool and had started becoming a label. A finished list meant I had been useful that day. An unfinished one meant I was being lazy. That was the part worth paying attention to, and it was not really about lists at all.

What Is Your Natural Tendency?

I am constantly amused because both of our grown children are very goal-oriented and always have been, the complete opposite of me in this regard. From a very young age, our daughter made lists every single day. Yes, I said lists; she would write multiple lists, and she found such satisfaction in checking each item off. Our son loves a good checklist too, and he is our fitness enthusiast. I truly admire both of them and am so proud of them in so many ways.

But I will be honest: I have also seen them become too fixated on the list, and when it wasn’t finished, they would get so frustrated with themselves. Our son would tell you that he has to work really hard not to feel lazy or worthless if he doesn’t accomplish something each and every day. The lists can hold us captive if we aren’t careful.

We all have our natural tendencies, and I would like you to consider what yours might be. Where do you gain your satisfaction and feel accomplished? Is it when you work out consistently? Read a book per week? Pray a certain number of times per day? All of these things are wonderful goals to have, but is it where you find your peace and fulfillment?

A Man Who Had It All

This is not a new struggle. Long before daily planners and smartphones, a man asked the very same question and had every possible resource at his disposal to answer it. We can learn a lot from reading about Solomon, who had all of the wealth the world could offer—possessions, pleasures, and accomplishments—and yet he states this in Ecclesiastes 2:10-11:

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
    I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
    and this was the reward for all my toil.
 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
    and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
    nothing was gained under the sun.

If you read Ecclesiastes in its entirety, it's clear that no matter what Solomon sought, it brought him no peace or fulfillment, and it was all meaningless. This sounds very hopeless and discouraging, doesn’t it? If we go deeper, I believe we can learn that when we look to earthly things to fulfill us, we soon realize that only the Creator can do that.

So, what can we learn from Solomon’s example?

Where Fulfillment is Found

We have all likely met people who have all the world has to offer, just as Solomon did, and yet they have no peace. It’s easy to assume that once we reach that goal, pay that bill, finish the workout, and organize the house, we will be content. Those things do feel great, but they were never meant to give us fulfillment.

In Scripture, David so beautifully writes these words:

You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures - Psalm 16:11

Now look at the other side of that. How many people do we know who are filled with joy and contentment, yet may still struggle significantly? They may be poor according to the world’s standards, but they are rich in God’s eyes. They have set their eyes on Jesus Christ and look to Him to satisfy their deepest longings. I love the verse below because it shows us exactly where everlasting peace, joy, and fulfillment are found.

You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace,
for it is trusting in you - Isaiah 26:3

So keep making those lists. Keep reaching those goals and being your best self, because those really are good things. Just don’t ask them to do what only Jesus can do. He is where your fulfillment is, and He is all we need.