Sunday Inspiration: Sunday, May 19, 2024
Don’t Chase Carrots: Fame, Wealth, Approval, and Comfort
(Graduation Sermon: Sunday, May 19, 2024)
“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1). Life is full of seasons, each with unique challenges and blessings. Graduation marks both an end and a beginning. It is the birth of new opportunities, adventures, and possibilities. As you step into the future, you will plant seeds of knowledge, relationships, and dreams. Nurture them with care, but be prepared to uproot and change direction. Growth requires a move out of our comfort zones.
There will be moments when you must confront and overcome obstacles, whether external challenges or internal doubts. But remember, after every struggle, there is a time to heal. Take care of your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Healing allows you to move forward with strength and resilience.
Throughout your life, you will encounter situations that require you to tear down old structures, be they outdated beliefs, unhealthy relationships, or ineffective practices. Use these opportunities to build something better, stronger, and more aligned with your values and goals.
Life will be filled with moments of joy and sorrow. Allow yourself to experience both fully. Your tears and laughter are expressions of your humanity. Celebrate the happy moments and find strength in the difficult ones, knowing each has its place and purpose.
You will face losses and disappointments, but you will also experience triumphs and joys. Mourning and dancing are both essential parts of life. Honor your grief, but do not let it overshadow your capacity for joy.
You will form many meaningful connections in your journey. Cherish these relationships and recognize when it is time to let go. Not every person or opportunity is meant to be part of your journey forever. Embrace change and trust that new and fulfilling relationships will come your way.
Your path will not always be clear, and there will be times when you search for direction, meaning, and answers. Be persistent in your search, but also know when to let go. Sometimes, giving up on one pursuit opens the door to a more fulfilling one.
Hold on to what is valuable and meaningful, but do not be afraid to let go of what no longer serves you. Simplifying your life can bring clarity and focus.
There will be times when you need to break down barriers, challenge the status quo, and advocate for change. But there will also be times when healing and reconciliation are needed. Be a force for positive change and a peacemaker when the situation demands it.
Wisdom often lies in knowing when to listen and when to speak.
“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1).
Watch out that you don’t end up chasing carrots that lead you away from your purpose. Fame is like a vapor; it appears solid yet quickly disappears. Don’t seek the applause of others but the quiet approval of a life well-lived in service and integrity.
Wealth is a tool, not an end. Use it to make a difference, for the love of money often leads to emptiness. Aim to be rich in good deeds, generosity, and a life that treasures what cannot be bought.
Embrace not the praise of others but God's unchanging love and the self-respect that comes from walking your path with honor.
Comfort can lead to complacency. Growth happens outside our comfort zone. Don’t be afraid of adversity. It can build strength, character, and faith.
Remember that there is a time for everything. Don’t chase after the carrots of fame, wealth, approval, and comfort. Instead, seek a life of purpose, integrity, and compassion. Embrace each season, trusting that God's timing is perfect.
The wisdom writer of Ecclesiastes catalogs various seasons of life. He arranges twenty-eight seasons in sharp contrast to one another and yet defines them as part of the reality of being human. He begins with the most fundamental: “A time to be born and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3: 2). Everything else he sets forth happens between birth and death.
Many years ago, Linda Ellis sent in a poem she had written to a syndicated Atlanta radio show that changed the course of her life and has impacted millions of lives since then. The poem reflects what Ecclesiastes is saying.
I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning… to the end. He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own, the cars… the house… the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.
God is the creator of time. God sets the rhythm of reality - the time to mourn, the time to dance, the time to gather, and the time to let go. Knowing what time it is set apart the foolish from the wise. Some will hold on to things that have served their purpose. Some will refuse to let go of a relationship that is no longer life-giving.
As we live the dash, one of the most helpful tools is to learn the habit of doing what Jesus taught us when he said, “Shake the dust off your feet.” Let me explain. In the gospels, Jesus sends his twelve followers with instructions to share his message. He says, “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse those with a skin disease; cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff, for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you” (Matthew 10: 7 - 13).
Their mission is clear. Their purpose is well-defined. But what if they are not welcomed? What if they sense someone being passive-aggressive? What if they are ignored? What if the relationship doesn’t flourish? Jesus says, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town” (Matthew 10: 14).
In the world of sports, we say, “Leave it all on the field.” Shake the dust off your feet. Shake, shake, shake it off. And, of course, Taylor sang, “Cause the players gonna play, And the haters gonna hate, Baby, I'm just gonna shake.”
Jesus says, “Shake the dust from your feet.”
Don’t carry that dirt everywhere you go, damaging relationships, destroying friendships, sapping energy, leaking hope. Shake the dust off your feet. Don’t carry it around with you.
Everywhere you go, people will throw dirt, try to tear you down, be jealous, not understand you, gossip about you, and tell lies about you. Shake it off.
Don’t get self-righteous. Don’t take up their passive-aggressive ways. Don’t become like them and indifferent to the people around you. Shake it off.
Shaking the dust is not a way of forgetting the hard work, or ignoring the value of the past relationship, or choosing not to lament over something that didn’t work out. It isn’t joining the ranks of the cancel culture.
Instead, shaking the dust is an act of hope. It is the belief that God can take the dust we are shaking off and make something beautiful from it. If we can have the faith to shake off the dust, we can have the hope that God will make something beautiful out of the ashes and new life out of the dust.
So, the word for our graduates, and all of us facing new seasons of life, is that for everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven; therefore, be willing to shake off the dust of the past and trust God with your future.
Embrace each season, trusting that God's timing is perfect. I invite you to commit your life to Jesus Christ. He is the guide through all the seasons of life. Trust in Him, and He will direct your paths. Seek His wisdom, live by His example, and let His love be the foundation of your life. Amen.
Discussions
In what ways can recognizing life’s seasons help you navigate your current or upcoming challenges?
How do you handle the need to change direction or "uproot" when necessary?
What word of advice would you give to a recent graduate? How do you live out the advice yourself?
How do you decide when to let go of something and build something new?
How can shaking off the dust be an act of hope and faith in your life?
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
We come before You with hearts full of gratitude and humility, acknowledging that for everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.
Help us hold on to what is valuable and release what no longer serves us, bringing clarity and focus to our lives. Empower us to break down barriers, challenge the status quo, and advocate for change while being peacemakers and healers when needed.
Father, guard our hearts against chasing the fleeting carrots of fame, wealth, approval, and comfort. Let us seek a life of purpose, integrity, and compassion, finding fulfillment in serving others and living by Your principles.
We commit to living our "dash" with love and purpose, knowing that what matters most is how we live and love. As we shake off the dust of past disappointments and challenges, we place our hope and trust in You, believing that You can create beauty from ashes and new life from dust.
Lord Jesus, we commit our lives to You. Be our guide through all the seasons of life. Direct our paths, fill us with Your wisdom, and let Your love be the foundation of our lives. We trust in Your perfect timing and embrace each season with faith and hope.
In Your holy name, we pray.
Amen.
Benediction
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
As you journey through the seasons of life, may you find strength in times of trial, comfort in times of sorrow, and joy in times of celebration.
May you plant seeds of love, kindness, and wisdom, nurturing them with care and patience. And when the time comes, may you have the courage to uproot and change direction, trusting in God's perfect timing.
May the peace of Christ go with you wherever He sends you. May He guide you through the wilderness and protect you through the storm. May He bring you home, and may you rejoice at the wonders He has shown you.
Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord. Amen.
Share On Social Media
🌱 "For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven." Embrace each season with faith and trust in God's perfect timing. #Ecclesiastes3 #FaithJourney
💪 After every struggle, there is a time to heal. Take care of your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Healing brings strength and resilience. #Healing #SelfCare
✨ "Shake the dust off your feet" and move forward. Don’t carry past hurts into your future. Trust God to make something beautiful from the ashes. #NewBeginnings #FaithInAction
