Ecclesiastes 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
A few weeks ago I finished the audio version of “Irreversible Damage” by Abigail Shrier which researches the huge growth of teen girls experiencing gender disphoria (deciding they want to be boys).
Shrier does an excellent job of explaining this growth doesn’t have to do with the desires of their body. Instead it relies on peer pressure (their friends are doing it) and instant popularity after they come out as a boy. Many of these teens struggled socially and chose gender transition for the attention it brought.
In the end gender transition promises happiness…..
But it can never fulfil that promise.
Of course it’s not alone because we are surrounded daily by dozens of things that promise happiness. Money, possessions, relationships, power, etc. The sad thing is they DO bring happiness, but it’s only temporary. We are soon looking for the next thing that promises fulfillment.
King Solomon knew all about this search for happiness, and also how pointless it was. In the history of Israel no king had more riches, power, or fame than Solomon. Yet at the end of his life in Ecclesiastes he referred to everything he obtained as “vanity” or “emptiness.”
Ecclesiastes is an incredibly sad book as Solomon chronicles his doomed search for happiness. But it’s also a warning to all future generations that seek for happiness outside of Christ. You will be left empty.
But why can’t the world make us happy?
Gender dysphoria like so many other things cannot bring happiness because it doesn’t deal with the heart.
The true source of our sadness is a disconnect from God the Father. We are forced to go through life in our own strength and wisdom, which we were never created to do! There is also a sin-nature within us that continually rebels against the Lord. Until we are reconnected to the Father through Salvation, we cannot live the way we were created to.
Other things may help for a while
but eventually you have to deal with the real problem
Lets say that my car has a problem with the alternator which needs to be replaced. It’s possible for me to put new tires on the car, give the car a paint job, and install a new engine. But without a new alternator the car will eventually stop working completely!
In the same way secondary things won’t change the issue of our hearts.
The Lord has given me a burden for teen boys and girls in SVG who grow up longing for love and happiness. Sadly some of them don’t receive this at home, so they look for it in the world. May God help me show them the only way to experience happiness is by accepting Christ.
Johnhwilburn.org 