Making Noise
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun? – Ecclesiastes 1:1-3.
The NIV translates verse 2 as: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
For 2½ years Miyoko Kawahara made a lot of noise, and she became nationally known in Japan as “Mrs. Noisy.” Kawahara is a surprising 59-years-old, I say surprising, because usually we think of younger people as being the violators of the sound waves with unwanted noise. Kawahara became “Mrs. Noisy” by blaring music from her balcony and screaming insults to those who passed by. She also enjoyed beating her bedding, as loudly as possible, out on her balcony. A neighbor developed insomnia and headaches, from the noise of “Mrs. Noisy.” The long arm of the law has finally caught up with Miyoko, and she has been given a sentence of a year in jail for her unwanted noise. She will probably be released from jail, after serving just three months of the sentence and neighbors are already worried.
In a way, we can think of a meaningless life, as a life of just making noise. It may be, that Mrs. Kawahara has been in her own way, trying to find some meaning for her life. Sadly, she ended up just making a whole lot of noise, and irritating everyone who passed by, along with all of her neighbors. To some extent, her noise irritated the entire country and time in jail is the price she is having to pay for the noise.
What about your life? What about my life? Are we just making noise? Or, are we making music with a life of meaning? Solomon was confronted with this very question thousands of years ago. Here was a man who had everything the world says should make a person have a meaningful life. Solomon had it all. He had power, he had riches, and he had fame. Solomon looked out at his vast domain, as he searched for meaning, for life and he saw nothing but noise. “Meaningless! Meaningless!” he cried. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Everything that he had and he had it all, seemed to be just a lot of noise.
Solomon is said to have been the wisest man who ever lived. Although at some points of his life, he did not use the great wisdom God had blessed him with. The example, the good example Solomon has given us, is that he finally did understand how to make music with his life, and not just noise. Hear the great wisdom and experience of Solomon as he concludes the book of Ecclesiastes by saying, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).”
We can search the world and try everything, but there is ultimately only one place to go to find meaning in life. Actually, it is not a place – it is a Person. We must go to God, give our lives to Him, and then we will find that our lives are no longer just making noise. The apostle Peter put it another way, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).”
Allow the Master, the Creator, to have control of your life, and you will discover the noise is gone; but in its place will be a composition that all who encounter will describe as being a masterpiece. Allow the Master, to bring the music of meaning forth from your heart.
(Are you making noise or making music with your life?)