The Illusion of Fulfillment

Bridgepoint Church
Jan 5
3 min read

Pastor: Jeff Love

Made New: Why Change Starts With the Soul

Roughly 30–40% of people make New Year’s resolutions. Most revolve around finances, diet, or exercise. And yet, by the second Friday in January—often called Quitter’s Day—many of those resolutions are already abandoned.

Whether we make resolutions or not, there’s something deeper happening in all of us. There’s an acknowledgment that something needs to change. A sense that we could grow, improve, or become something more than we currently are. Even if we don’t love change—or the process that comes with it—most of us can look back and say, I’m thankful I’m not the same person I used to be.

As Christians, we believe that God has a destination, a process, and a determination for every life. Over the next few weeks, our new series, Made New, will help us better understand what that process looks like—and why lasting change begins somewhere deeper than habits or goals.

A Longing We All Share

Each week in this series, we’ll hear parts of the stories of Emilio Dennen and Channelle Keen. Their journeys remind us of something we all have in common, regardless of background or circumstance:

We all carry a longing—an emptiness we try to fill.

Psalm 107:9 describes it as a “hungry soul” and a “longing soul.” It’s a deep internal need, much like hunger or thirst. And as Aristotle once said, “Nature abhors a vacuum.” Whatever is empty will eventually be filled with something.

So we search. We invest time, energy, and money trying to satisfy that hunger—through work, success, relationships, possessions, or experiences. None of those things are evil in themselves. They simply weren’t designed to carry the weight of our identity or purpose.

Eventually, we discover what Psalm 42:2 points us toward: our souls weren’t made to be satisfied by created things, but by God Himself.

Looking in the Wrong Places

This is where the wisdom of Ecclesiastes confronts us honestly—and uncomfortably.

Solomon, the wisest and most successful man of his time, opens with these haunting words:

“Vanity of vanities… all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

He’s not saying work doesn’t matter or responsibilities should be ignored. He’s saying that work, success, and achievement were never meant to answer the deepest questions of the soul.

Is this why I’m here? Is this what my life is for?

Ecclesiastes 1:3 asks a piercing, rhetorical question:

“What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?”

Time moves forward relentlessly—with or without us. The sun rises and sets. The wind blows. Rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. Solomon’s point is clear: progress does not equal purpose, and accumulation does not produce contentment.

No matter how much we see, hear, or achieve, the soul remains restless when we expect the wrong things to satisfy it.

When Success Isn’t Enough

Solomon knew this firsthand. He had more wealth, power, influence, and opportunity than anyone around him. And yet, after reviewing his life, he described it as “grasping for the wind.”

In Ecclesiastes 1:18, he delivers a sobering conclusion:

“For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”

What the world offers—on its own—cannot bring lasting satisfaction.

And yet, this isn’t the end of the story.

A New Starting Point

Solomon presses us here not to discourage us, but to wake us up. We cannot move forward until we’re honest about where we are. Before asking “What’s next?” we must first ask:

How are things working for me?

How is the hunger in my soul?How is my sense of purpose?How is my identity holding up when circumstances change?

Some of us need big changes. Others may need small but intentional course corrections. But all of us need a true north—a starting point that can anchor everything else.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 gives us hope: