Ecclesiastes comes across as a book that does not seem real encouraging. It starts out seeming to view life as depressing. It is certainly not a book that immediately boosts our mood in the morning. Perhaps it is the perfect time to start Ecclesiastes as we endure this heat wave and the extreme discomfort that can come from these temperatures.
When reading Ecclesiastes, we need to remember that the author has a life that many people in our world would consider incredibly successful. He had tremendous wealth. He had incredible power. He had wisdom that was renown throughout the world. By all accounts this man had it all. Yet, when he looks back over his life the man who has it all considers it "Meaningless". I would suggest that the point he is making is when we take our eyes off God in pursuit of what the world says matters most then no amount of success or accumulation of wealth can satisfy what only God can provide. When we lose our focus on God, we lose the big picture of what our lives are really all about.
Let's use Ecclesiastes as a reminder of our values and purpose in life. What are we really living for? How do we really define success? I believe that life is a gift from God but living that life apart from God starts to take away the value and meaning in life that only comes from our Creator.