The Good Life

Oftentimes God breaks us to the extent that we have nowhere to turn but to Him.

Who hears but the one who is listening?

Who listens but the one desperate for good news?

Who finds but the one who seeks?

Who seeks but the one desperate for fulfillment?

God is not more appealing to the destitute and downtrodden. They just happen to be more open and receptive to the goodness of God. The thirsty long for even a small sip of water; the hungry for a bite of bread. If the difficult moments of life cause us to turn back to God, then was it worth it? No one longs for pain, but if pain is what is required to push us toward a greater good, then perhaps we begin to understand why we should count trials as joyous.

Conversely, the man living the “good life,” never truly knowing thirst or hunger, may never see his need for God and therefore go about his merry, ignorant way. For though he does not recognize his need, his need is great indeed. There is a thirst, a hunger that resides deeper than the pit of our stomachs. The hunger is within our souls. Two things can be said about this hunger. First of all, it is universal. Everyone knows this hunger as evidenced that everyone attempts to satisfy it. We attempt with work, education, family, adventure, notoriety, striving for the “good life.” These all fail in that they are temporary but this does lead to the second point: nothing of this world can satisfy the hunger of the soul. Thus the conclusion reached by the author of Ecclesiastes. If the soul is eternal, and I believe it is, then why suspect that temporal solutions would suffice? This is the way of the ignorant. C.S. Lewis writes, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

How do we fulfill the soul’s hunger? God gives grace to the humble, regardless of their social status. And that’s just what we are in desperate need of…grace. What do the destitute need? The downtrodden? Grace. The need of those who have it all together? Grace. The ones that pretend to have it all together? Grace. We all need grace. To receive it, we must humble ourselves recognizing our need and plead the only One who can satisfy to do so. Have you heard the good news? Are you listening? Are you desperate for the goodness of God? The psalmist said, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Just a taste. Just a taste. Like a fingertip of frosting from the mixing bowl.

God. Is. Good.

And then there come those days when all the best theology in the world has to put on street clothes and walk through hell on earth. The heart tests the mind and the will. A heavy heart, an iron will, a preoccupied mind…What will win out? Days like these are when friends become so precious. Those that lift you in prayer, send a word of encouragement, or simply make time for you. I’ve heard these friends described as “Jesus with skin on.” Over the last 12 years of marriage, I’ve come to realize that there is no greater friend on earth than my wife.

An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.

Truer words have never been shared. With each passing season of life and marriage, I have come to love and appreciate my wife all the more. No, she doesn’t complete me. Christ does that. There are plenty of folks who never marry or who have been widowed. Does this make them any less Christian? Certainly not. But for folks like me, the Lord knew that I would require someone else to push me, challenge me, and love me more into the man that God desires. Thank God for my wife!

Sometimes life is smooth sailing. Sometimes there are rough waters. And sometimes I just need a kick in the pants, the rug snatched from beneath me to cause me to look up and look around. When this happens, and I stop to count my blessings, I remember God, I consider my friends, my family, my wife… I come to the startling realization, I am living the good life.