Is The Good Life Always Within Our Reach?

How should we define what makes life good?

What is a good life?

Some say that the good life is a life where you are able to reach your dreams. It is that life when you can successfully pursue your passion and leave a lasting legacy to the world.

But not everyone can do that. Some people are just too busy trying to make both ends meet, trying to earn a living for their family’s immediate needs.

Some say that the good life is a life where you and your loved ones can stay healthy. You may not be able to buy luxurious things, but if you can stay in good health, it’s as though you have found a treasure.

But not everyone can be healthy. Some get sick. Some need to stay in bed for a long time. Many experience so much pain that it is a challenge even to do the simplest things from day to day.

Some say that a good life is having your loved ones around you. It is growing up with a family who will always be there for you, a home you can go back to whenever you get exhausted from all of your pursuits. It is having friends who can cheer for you when you are down. It is having a soulmate who can understand the very depths of your heart.

Again, however, not everyone can have that. Some people become orphans at a young age. Many fail to find true friends. And others don’t have that special someone who can remain with them for life.

What then is a good life? Is it impossible to find?

While there are many blessings that we can find in our lives, we may not exactly have the kind of life other people tell us about. We may not have the life we imagined when we were young.

Something can be missing. Or it can be altogether different for us. At times, we may walk in the dark for so long that we wonder whether there is any hope of finding any good in the life we’re living.

But here is where faith can help us. Here is where it matters whether we believe in God or not.

With God, we can look at things from another perspective. From the moment that we believe, we are given a new pair of spiritual eyes. Eyes that see blessing where we once saw only sorrow. Eyes that see hope where we once saw only despair.

This doesn’t mean that life can be made perfect all at once. This doesn’t mean that we can be healed from every pain.

But this means that we can start to live our lives finding the good things that have once been invisible to us.

We find that broken dreams can lead us to new and better ones. We find people who share our faith even though they may not share our blood. Even in the midst of illness, we find an opportunity to draw closer to the love of God.

We are no longer dependent upon external things upon which to base our hopes and joys. Instead, we begin to see Jesus and His grace everywhere.

With Jesus, we are never alone. With Him, we find purpose even in our suffering.

This then, is the good life. A life that is lived with God and for God. A life that leads to our eternal home in heaven, where God Himself shall wipe away all of our tears.

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” - Isaiah 40 (NABRE)