Mankind is driven by desire. We have desire to be important, to be loved, to make our lives matter. We have a desire to be happy. We want to find a real happiness though, not the kind that comes from emotional highs or material possessions. We try to find happiness in all sorts of ways, but even King Solomon, the wisest and richest King to ever rule Israel discovered that nothing this world has to offer can bring the happiness he was seeking. In the book Ecclesiastes Solomon details how he refused nothing his eyes desired. He pursued knowledge, success, pleasure and wealth, but in the end he concludes that all these things are meaningless. Solomon discovered firsthand that this world has nothing to offer that will bring the joy and satisfaction that can only be found in Christ.

I love Ecclesiastes because I think it offers proper perspective on life. It reminds me that while there is merit in hard work, success, and even fun, it ultimately isn't what we're seeking. These things are only a glimpse into what God has for us. The pleasure we can find on earth is extremely temporary, but it can serve to remind us that God has more for us. Lewis put's it like this:

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only arouse it, to suggest the real thing." --C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 2001 edition)

The "real thing" is out there, but we've looked in the wrong places. We've looked to pleasure and achievement to satisfy our need, when in reality only Christ can satisfy. We need to not settle for second best. God want's the best for our lives, and what's best for us is Himself! We should want the same thing. I love how Lewis describes our state.

"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." --C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965)

If we are to find true joy, our only option is Christ. If we want to find a real sense of satisfaction, it needs to be found in something eternal. This world is destined to pass away. We should take Solomon's advice to heart and embrace the reality of this world: It's meaningless. There is nothing in it that will ever make us happy. Not popularity, money, or fame. We need to cling to Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

We really can find satisfaction. We can find happiness. God isn't just dangling a carrot to get us to run in a circle. But what we need to remember is joy can only be found in Jesus.