Living The Good Life

I have finally figured out that the good life isn't really about how life's treating me but about how I'm treating life.  It's so easy to find myself caught up in the inconveniences and discouragements of life that I forget they are only temporary.  I can choose to let the mistakes, the trials, and the tragedies make me bitter or better, but it's my choice.  They can be stumbling blocks or stepping stones.

Have you ever thought, "If I only had more money, life would be so much easier," or "if I could just get that house I would be happy"?  I have.  As a matter of fact, I know that some things would be easier if I had more money.  Life, however, would not just suddenly become a walk in the park if I had more money.  So many things happen in life that cannot be changed, fixed or satisfied with money.

Certainly, we each have our own definition of the good life which is formed by such factors as our childhood, our parents, our families, our education , our likes and our dislikes, our friends, our careers, and our society.  If I sat down with 5 of my closest friends and asked for their definitions of the good life, I would likely receive 5 different answers.  Even my own definition of the good life has changed drastically over the last 19 years.

I can tell you that my life has been nothing like I had hoped or dreamed.  Truly, I am waiting for some things to change for the better.  Yet, I believe that I am living the good life!  I know the love that the Lord has for me, and I am enraptured in that.  I am learning to love the Lord the way He loves, and I am passionate about that.  I am walking out His plans and purposes for my life, and I am confident in that.  I am helping others grow in their relationship with Jesus, and I am blessed in that.  I am seeing His kingdom increase as I walk with Him in obedience, and I am thankful for that.  Absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is no good life outside of living LIFE in Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus through the Holy Spirit!

Scripture references for study: 2 Corinthians 4:17-18; Ephesians 2:10; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Song of Songs 6:3; 1 John 4:19; Matthew 6:19-33; Acts 17:28; Galatians 2:20