“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher. “Vanity of Vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) 
The Preacher refers to the utter futility of all earthly things: things like human wisdom, pleasures and wealth, materialism, past achievements, work, fame and fortune, and even political success. It’s like chasing after the wind, or trying to kill a gnat when a lion is about to attack. In other words: “What’s the point?” There is none– IF that is our only goal in life.
This played out vividly when I was a teenager. I realized the futility of trying to look better than I actually was. I did this by not wearing those stylish, black horn-rimmed glasses anywhere in public if there was even a remote possibility of being seen by anyone, young or old. I did, however, wear my glasses while driving.
Are they cute?
I usually packed two or three more girlfriends in my car than it could legitimately hold and cruise University Avenue like a zillion other teens did. Each time we came to a stop light, I would whip off my glasses and scrunch up my face to see who was in the car next to us. If there were boys in the car, I would ask, “Are they cute?”
“Doesn’t matter,” my friends would say, “because when you make that ridiculous face at them, they take off.”
I concluded that by not wearing my glasses defeated the purpose for having them in the first place, so what was the point of having glasses and not wearing them? It was futile to have glasses for the sake of seeing better if I did not wear them. And it was futile to try to look better when I had to squint in order to see. Vanity of vanities!
What’s the Point?
What’s the point of shoveling snow amidst a snowstorm? Why would anyone apply to a college if he or she has a 2.0 GPA? What’s the reason anyone would eat soup with a spoon if they want to get the last drop? There is no point. There is no reason. It’s all vanity of vanities!
So what did the Preacher conclude? When all is heard, he said, “Fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.” The command to fear God coincides with the command to keep His commandments for this is what man is all about.
God has not told man how to comprehend all the frustrating futilities of life, but He has instructed man to enjoy life as His gift. The Preacher says, “In the day of prosperity, be happy, but in the day of adversity, consider, ‘God has made the one as well as the other.'” We are to make the most of every opportunity, and to live life with reverence toward God accompanied by an awareness of future judgement.
Solomon, the Preacher, wise man that he was, learned to live with life’s paradoxes by maintaining a proper attitude toward life and God recognizing that God will eventually judge all men according to the time He has predetermined. In other words, do not live life as though it were pointless. Set goals in life with one eye on eternity. There is a purpose for each one of us. Find your purpose and pursue it.