Sitting under the sun will lead you dry and thirsty! So will that type of mindset.
Solomon uses the phrase "under the sun" 29 times in Ecclesiastes (nine times already before chapter 3). In 3:16 he writes, "Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, Wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness, Iniquity was there."
Solomon is in a dark season. You can tell he is dry and thirsty for more when he writes: "For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity." Ecclesiastes 3:19
We've all been there, moments when despair creeps in and we start questioning God's goodness, His plan, even His existence. On this side of the cross we have far more light than Solomon did, yet the temptation remains: to live with an "under the sun" perspective that sees only the brokenness and forgets the Bigger Story.
That's why Paul urges us to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).
When tough seasons come, and they will, don't park your mind "under the sun." Run to Truth. Run to the Truth who has a name: Jesus. Sit with Him. Soak in His Word because that's where life, hope, and perspective are found.
Even in the valley, bring every doubt, every fear, every question to Him. He can handle it. And He's the only One who can truly satisfy a thirsty soul.
-To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.