The Going of the Soul

Better what the eyes see than wandering desire. – Ecclesiastes 6.9, CSB

There is a danger that lurks silently within us. Most of the time, we are oblivious to it. Day after day, it moves and influences our choices. It causes us to want more while having enough. It causes us to exchange what is old and working for what is new and working. Messages from all over feed it, telling us that what we have is not what we should have. What is it?

An uncontrolled appetite.

Solomon, who was worth an estimated two trillion dollars, made this statement about it. “Better what the eyes see than wandering desire” (Ecclesiastes 6.9, CSB). Young’s Literal Translation words it this way, “Better is the sight of the eyes than the going of the soul.” 

When our appetites for more are unchecked, they lead to discontentment. Discontentment leads us to an inability to enjoy what we currently have gratefully. Instead of appreciating God’s gracious gifts, we look for the upgrade or a way to exchange them for the right brand that social media influencers are sporting. We move away from a thankful heart to an unappreciative spirit.

I don’t want to live like this. Do you? I don’t want to miss God’s gifts and provisions because of “the going of my soul.” I want to live with the same attitude that Paul had. In Philippians 4, Paul said, “…for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need” (Philippians 4.11-12, CSB).

Content. To live knowing that what I have is enough. The amount of something doesn’t influence my attitude of contentment. Rather, contentment changes my perception of what I have. 

Enough. What a word. 

But how do we start? What do we do? I think there is one key thing to start with. Decide what your life is about. If our lives are about finding fulfillment in things, our appetites will never be satisfied. If our lives are about finding fulfillment in influence, we will never be satisfied. We can never find contentment or the peace that comes with living with enough until Christ fulfills us. Jesus must be our life, as Paul worded in his letter to Christians in Colossae, “When Christ, who is your life…” (Colossians 4.3, CSB). To the Christians in Philippi, he said, “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1.21, CSB). We cannot learn the secret of contentment, “whatever circumstances I find myself” (Philippians 4.11, CSB), until our lives are satisfied in Jesus.

So we start there. We start with Jesus. We learn to abide in him. We obey him. We walk at his pace, learning to stroll with him and enjoying the abundance of life instead of longing for the abundance of things. We appreciate the things right in front of us and say no to looking for fulfillment in the “next best thing.” We learn and live from a place of contentment, which breeds thankfulness and gratefulness for what we have. It doesn’t mean that we can never buy new things but rather frees us to not have to buy new things. We learn to be content with enough.