It is said that if you are at the top of Cadillac Mountain in Maine at daybreak, you will be one of the first Americans to see the sunrise that day. That would be something amazing to see, but you wouldn't want to make the valiant effort to get to the top of the mountain only to find the view there a big disappointment. Maybe you have experienced that feeling. You arrived somewhere you really wanted to go or you received something you really wanted, but it turned out to be disappointing.
The ancient Jewish King, Solomon, knew that feeling. He was the wealthiest man of his generation. He records in the Biblical book Ecclesiastes how he tried every pleasure, every relationship, and every conquest he wanted. Here's how he describes the view from the top of his mountain in Ecclesiastes 2:17: "So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."
There are plenty of modern Solomons. There are many very successful people who own what they want and are respected in their community. Many of them would say, "What's the reason for living anyway?" They got what they dreamed of - the relationships, the possessions, and the pleasures - only to find the view was a disappointment. They discover what Solomon discovered. He said in Ecclesiastes 3:11, God has "set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Earth has nothing big enough to fill the eternal hole in our heart. That's why Jesus summed it up in Matthew 16:26 by asking, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?"
There are basically two categories of people: those who haven't received what they want and think that's why they don't have peace, and those who have what they want and there's no peace there. The Bible says there is one Prince of Peace - Jesus Christ. He is the one who said to His disciples after His resurrection, "Peace be with you."
The reason for your life is summed up in six Biblical words recorded in Colossians 1:16, "All things were created by Him and for Him." The "Him" is talking about Jesus, but we haven't lived for Him; we've pursued our own kingdom. God has declared a death penalty for our sin.
From adolescence through adulthood, we keep thinking what we're looking for is just over that next hill. No matter how many hills you've climbed, the peace and meaning wasn't there, was it? You need to climb one more hill - the one with that cross on the top where Jesus is dying for your sin so you can finally experience the God-relationship you were made for. If you're tired of climbing mountains to nowhere, come to that cross. Tell Jesus Christ you want to belong to Him and that He is your only hope.
Life is a series of disappointing views until we give our lives to the only One who can give it eternal meaning. Every other destination will leave you feeling hollow inside until you're home in the waiting arms of Jesus Christ.