GREAT LESSONS FOR LIFE

I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, neither is bread to the wise nor riches to men of intelligence and understanding nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. Ecclesiastics 9:11

The above statement is very powerful and it really speaks about what goes on in life. We can't understand life entirely but we can learn more and know how to live each day.
Source
According to the bible King Solomon was the wisest king ever lived and he spent most of his time to understand how things work in life.
From his obersvations he saw many things that we should know and learn some great lessons from:

The fastest runner doesn't always win the race

Source
Not long ago Usain Bolt who is known to be the fastest man when it comes to hundred meter race lost to Justin Gatling. Everybody thought he would win at all cost but this time even his legs speed gave up on him. Perhaps he thought of ending his career by setting his last record but ended up loosing it to another. Life is just like a race many start early but end being last. People always think that those who are swift are the only ones who make it fast in life that is not always the case.

The strongest warrior doesn't always win the battle

Source
Mike Tyson used to be a heavy weight champion that no one could vex or defeat. In his career as a boxer he won many fights with many knockouts. He later lost his fight with Evander Holyfield miserably and eventually has retired.

Such is life, it has it's twist and turns. It may not always work just the way you expect it to be.
It is not always the most powerful army or the strongest warrior that always win a fight. The Bible says the horses are made ready for battle but victory comes from the Lord.

Goliath fought from his childhood and won many battles. He was fearless giant and a champion of the Philistines until he met David who brought an abrupt end to his life and career as a fighter. He never won this time, David's time came and he won.

Food will not always be given to the wise

Source
The fact that one is very wise doesn't make him the repertoire of all knowledge. How wise and sensible you are will not always guarantee you of having the great riches of this world.

Men of sense are not always men of substance. There are many ingenious men and powerful men who were thought to make it throughout in life but have strangely ended up with nothing today, they lost great wealth overnight.

Don't assume that people who know how to live are those that excel in every facets of life. There is no prove that if you are wise you will always have your way and enjoy the best things of this life. You experience the best things of life when it is your time and an opportunity presents itself.

Riches does not always go to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill

Source
It is also not true that men of understanding and men of skill are the only ones who enjoy the best things of life. People tend to think that it is those who know how to manage themselves and have special skills of management are those who always find favour before men. The fact that you possess special skills does not guarantee that you receive preferential treatment and riches of this life all the time. A person who has no skills can be favoured by men when it is their time whiles those with great skills get disappointed. Time and chance made the difference.

LESSONS

There is no need for the struggle and competition with others to be first, to be richer, to do whatever it takes to make it in life for a sovereign Providence breaks men's measures.

Things may not always work according how we have planned and expected them to be , for we are not on our ow, we are all subject to the divine will or purpose of God.

We should not be so confident in what gives us an upper hand over others in this life for everything happens to us all according to time and chance. We shouldn't be so sure to win always and look down on others whom we think can never get to our level in life.

There are times and seasons unknown to everyone that things changes or happens to us and those times and seasons are determined by God. We as human hardly know when certain situations will change, God alone knows tomorrow, He has set time for everything that should happen to us in this life.