Tuesday

“For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.” — Ecclesiastes 2:21 (NKJV)

There’s a particular sting that comes when someone who didn’t earn it gets what you poured your life into. Solomon calls it what it is—a great evil. Not just unfair. Not just disappointing. A distortion of the way things ought to be.

You’ve seen it. The lazy coworker who benefits from your hard work. The next generation that squanders what the previous generation sacrificed to build. The inheritance that took decades to earn and moments to waste.

It feels wrong because it is wrong. This is part of what it means to live in a fallen world. Work was given to us before the fall—it was good, purposeful, fulfilling. But sin twisted it. Now labor is mixed with frustration, and fruitfulness is mixed with loss.

But here’s what Solomon is beginning to uncover: the problem isn’t work itself. The problem is looking at work “under the sun”—as if this life is all there is. When we measure everything by what we can see and keep, we’ll always come up empty.

God sees what you’re building, even when others don’t. And He keeps perfect records.

Takeaway:

Injustice in the workplace is real—but it’s not the final word. God sees your labor, and He is not indifferent.

Prayer:

Father, remind me today that my work is not wasted, even when others benefit from what I’ve done. Help me trust Your justice more than my own sense of fairness. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN!