Leaders tend to want to leave their mark. One way they attempt this is by building something impressive. You might enlarge the organization you lead. Perhaps you double the staff size, or floor space, or assets or sales. There is something within leaders that makes them want to leave a place better and greater than how they found it. But there is a trap inherent in this.
While good leaders do make things better, that cannot become their source of satisfaction and fulfillment in life. No building or organization, regardless of how great, lasts forever. Everything comes to an end. People move on. What you poured your heart and soul into will one day be led by another.
One of the problems was that the writer of Ecclesiastes believed the great works were his. He had done them and he rightly received the credit. Such labor is truly unsatisfactory. Others will eventually accomplish more. Successors may even undo what we accomplished.
The key is to invest yourself in God’s great work. That lasts forever! Bringing glory to God through our labor is immensely satisfying. To point our lives and labor toward God and to acknowledge His greatness allows us to fulfill our life’s purpose. It is inherently hollow to spend our lives trying to accomplish something great for ourselves. Live your life by doing great things for God!