The “Good Life” Ain’t Good Enough

We all have dreams for our lives. If you’d have asked me years ago, I probably would’ve mentioned finding the love of my life and having a family, and growing a successful career. In other words, having a life of love and acceptance, and purpose and success. This is what many of us would call “The Good Life.” The truth is I had attained this in my early 30’s, but I still often felt empty. So I turned to religion. Of course, I’d go to church and be a good and better person, and the empty feeling would go away. Yet, it didn’t. And I noticed what started to take hold of me was real deep bitterness. I was mad. I was frustrated. Everything I was told by culture and everything I had pursued didn’t bring me the kind of satisfaction that my dreams promised. Apparently “The Good Life” wasn’t really enough.

“Your desires are much deeper than you think…You have no idea the greatness of your own soul…You’ll find out nothing in the end really satisfies that.” I heard this recently from a message of the great late pastor Tim Keller. It resonated with me now because I’d lived that. I don’t feel the let down or bitterness of life now as I did before. Why? Because I now have “The Full Life.” What changed, and what do I mean by the “full life?”

I recently attended a Men’s Conference at church in Lexington where one of the speakers asked the question, “What is the full life?” This was in reference to Jesus’ words recorded in John 10:10, “For I have come so that they have life and have it in full.” I thought about that question and Jesus’ words in relation to my own life. The loving family and successful work was great but it didn’t fill my life completely. Only one thing changed that led me from the life of bitterness to where I am now: my trust in Jesus. That relationship of Savior and saved, Lord and servant, and brother and friend is what changed. That brought me peace.

Interesting to know the Hebrew word for peace, shalom, at its core means “completeness, wholeness”, and, said in another way, fullness. Romans 5:1 says “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have shalom with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is the deep desire that is in each of us that we often try to fill in so many other ways, and often with good things. But until we fill our lives with the shalom brought by Jesus, our “good life” just won’t be enough.

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.” John 14:27 (CSB)