Good Life

And for every useless reason I know
There's a reason not to care
If I hide myself wherever I go
Am I ever really there?
 - For You, by Barenaked Ladies 


They're expanding part of the freeway off-ramp near where I live, building a turn-around that will be handy for drivers who wish to go the opposite direction down the road without waiting at the light. It's also helpful to keep traffic from getting too thick at the light, except for the fact that I've never seen more than a few cars at that light at one time. As far as construction projects go, to me this one seems a little pointless. Some people however, are probably thrilled that the new ramp is being built.
"Finally," I imagine them saying. "No more waiting at the light!"
Confession? If I used that road every day, I would probably say the same thing.

Truth be told, I'm not really thinking about turn-arounds or construction, I'm thinking about time and money and life. In America, and other bustling parts of the world, there's an overwhelming emphasis on saving time. We want cars that drive faster and don't have to be fueled as often, gadgets that transmit and download information faster, and for everyone everywhere to get to the point and not waste any time. We're a society of doers, but are our days filled to bursting with anything meaningful?

So why do we want to save time? So we can gaze at more sunsets or spend more time with family or read more books or feed the hungry? It seems instead that the point of saving time is to save money. But does saving money really let you live better, as Wal-Mart for one so famously implies? Again, are most people really saving money so they can have adventures with people they love, or to have a phone with a bigger screen? The old saying goes, "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door". It seems that every company around claims to have a better 'mousetrap', and everyone clambers over each other to get it (Black Friday being a sadly prime example). We're not saving time or money if both are being wasted with discontent.

Both Christmas and the end of the year is a time for reflections on things and time. A question I have to ask myself is: am I leading a good life? I have to answer that in two parts. First, I realize that I've been given a very good life. Loving family, friends, health, faith, and other blessings. But even if I didn't have any of those things, life could still be good, because that's the beauty of knowing and trusting a God who is sovereign and faithful. Yet because I have these things, I find myself asking myself even more probingly: am I leading a good life? I'm busy, that's for sure. I have to be careful to be busy with things that matter, and not just busy for busy's sake, because it's my nature to move and do and go. On the back of my door is a row of sticky notes: DO and DID. This year I wrote down a few goals, and reminders of things I wanted to do. WRITE!!! is one of the ongoing ones. DONATE BLOOD/PLATELETS is another. RUN A 5K and 10K and GO SKYDIVING are some that went in the DID row. With the year nearly over, and the question of "Where did the time go?", haunting myself and people everywhere, it's good to have tangible proof of a few ways time was spent. In other areas though, I can look back and wish I had used the time more intentionally. I like to be busy, but I never want to be so busy that I forget what's really important.

So: am I leading a good life? I hope so. There is always room for improvement. I had a conversation with my friend Meredith yesterday, in which we both heartily agreed that we'd rather spend money on experiences - travel, outdoors, museums, and so much more - than on any piece of jewelry or clothing. They say that diamonds last forever, but we would both rather have the memories of those times than an object that could get lost or stolen. We had this talk over lunch, before going ice skating. Maybe that was twenty dollars I could have put towards new shoes or something, but instead I hope to forever keep the memory of an afternoon with a great friend.

Will the freeway turn-around be helpful and appreciated? Probably. Could the time and money be better spent on digging a water well in country that needs it? Yes, if Americans would prioritize people with true needs that we could help meet. I'm preaching this to myself: I may have a good life for the most part, but I know that in general I'm too self-focused. I do waste plenty of time and money. I don't give enough away. A good chunk of the busyness that I enjoy is in being able to help people with service and gifts and words of affirmation, yet I know it's not enough. I do want a newer cell phone, or the dress in the window. I know that's how humans are wired - to be self-focused - but it's a mold we're called to break out of. Give of yourselves for others, because Christ gave Himself for everyone. So today, on Christmas Eve, with gifts wrapped and time with family coming up soon, I'm reminding myself of what a good life really is. What time and money and living is all about. I don't know the length of my days, but when I die, will I have used my life well? I pray so, and I know that with God's help and His alone, I can.


"If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy, I can only conclude that I was not made for this."
"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."
 - C.S. Lewis