Spitting Into the Wind

In my recent study of Ecclesiastes I was struck by the paraphrase that Eugene Peterson uses to describe the futility expressed by the author. Whereas traditional translations use the phrase “chasing after wind,” Peterson calls it “spitting into the wind,” which increases the sense of frustration, and perhaps absurdity, reflected in Ecclesiastes.

At one time or another I think everyone has felt that sense of absurdity, that all their efforts were just spitting into the wind. In some of our schools where the numbers of at-risk children are high I have heard teachers question whether their work is of any value. Or voters cast their ballots with great expectations only to see their favorite candidate bend and waffle and compromise like every other politician before him (or her). So, some people give up voting, or teaching, or whatever it is they do in service to the greater good, disillusioned by their inability to make a difference. Yes, Ecclesiastes speaks to that sense of cynicism that, perhaps, all of us have felt at one time or another.

I remember a conversation I had with Father Roland Murphy, my professor of Old Testament, when I was a first-year seminarian. I was sharing my frustrations at making a difference, particularly in regard to evangelism. I wanted people to believe because of my preaching. I wanted to see the results. Father Murphy tolerated my youthful enthusiasm and angst only so far and then in exasperation said, “The results are not up to you. Your job is simply to be faithful.”

Sometimes a hard word is just the right word. Whether or not we can see the difference we make is not important. But obedience is. Whether or not the world is changed as a result of my work, my labor, my efforts, etc., is not something I can control. All I can do is be faithful. I can take the work that is given to me and do it as well as I can and trust God for the rest. We can labor for the common good and never see the results within our lifetime. However, that doesn’t mean our efforts are meaningless.

We are not Sisyphus, carrying our rock up the mountain again and again, only to watch it roll back down to the bottom. Ecclesiastes is only one voice in the Judeo-Christian tradition. There is also the voice of Jesus that in some ways seemed to be a kind of spitting into the wind. His wonderful re-interpretation of Judaic law was met with resistance by the religious authorities of his day. His way of peace was perceived as a threat by the civil authorities of his day. Abandoned by his small band of followers, his lonely death on a hill outside of the walls of Jerusalem seemed to signal the absurdity of life, as if it was all spitting into the wind.

And yet, here we are 2000 years later, quoting him, admiring him, trying to figure out what has made the Jesus Movement endure. Ecclesiastes was wrong. Life is not utterly meaningless. There’s more to it than spitting into the wind. Jesus believed there was more, so he remained faithful, obedient to the end . . . and beyond.

I believe we all have a vocation (regardless of our jobs) to serve the common good. And being human, we’d like to see the results. My professor told me that the results are in the hands of God. My vocation then, is simply to be faithful. And Jesus is the best witness to what that faithfulness looks like. That means we shouldn’t expect immediate gratification. We may even suffer for our efforts. We may be ridiculed, despised, rejected. We have to learn to wait and hope. Indeed, we need to quit spitting, and simply trust that the wind knows where it’s blowing.