Ah the “good life”. When I hear that phrase it is usually connected to a moment without the personal responsibility or concerns of our daily routines. A date without the kids- a snow day off from work- someone else’s turn to pick up the kids- a week on the beach away from normal routine or extra money to spend just for fun!. Even better having money to pay the bills! All of us could continue to fill in the blanks!

A good friend of mine and I often would say in a quick morning conversation in the midst of crazy busy lives that “some lady in the city got up this morning and someone cooked her breakfast. She has a nail appointment and lunch planned at the Bristol. Then she is going to pack for her trip in her private jet to go Christmas shopping in New York this weekend!” What would that be like??????????? The deception of what the “good life” really is doesn’t occur to us- we just see the greener grass across the street. I lived in Naples, Florida for 5 years surrounded by some of the richest people I had ever known. Twice I was invited to homes on the gulf that were the side shows of boat tours taken daily around the area. One mansion I visited several times as a guest was like a movie set with a beautiful view of the sunset on the veranda. There were 12 antique cars in mint condition in the garage. I felt like Maria in the Sound of Music arriving in my second hand clothes! After several visits to this friend’s house I left realizing I had been invited because she felt I had the good life- hers was miserable. In her wealth was no substance of love, purpose, or destiny and she was desperate for friends who liked her for who she was and not her position in the community. Of course I have known other wealthy people whose lives are full and they are happy. The point is that our wealth is not the definition of our success and fullness of life. Yet money has a way of ruling our society. You simply have to have some The problem is when we allow it to dictate our lives- in particular our emotions. My husband has accused me of being happier when I have more money to spend. I have also accused him of the same and we both admit freely it is true. Without it I can’t give to my grandchildren and family the way I love to and he can’t buy his flat screen TV or plan the vacations we both enjoy and truly need actually! My daughters are headed to the beach in March and for 24 hours after the tickets were purchased they were still glowing in anticipation of the trip! It’s a wonderful thing.

The other night out of nowhere Jim and I were sitting alone in the living room just chatting about the day. We have many friends affected by the economy right now and it seems everyone has a crisis of some sort that we know. As we reflected and looked around us Jim said, “We are truly blessed. We really have so much and God has been so good to us.” We have some serious crisis in our lives right now, but in the midst of those we have our love, a nice home, good friends, and great kids and grandkids and our jobs for today are secure. To some that just look at us there is nothing to impress, but to those that know us there is life where even in crisis we find the peace of God that surpasses all the understanding of man and deep in our hearts have a joy that cannot be explained by our possessions. When I said I would love a thousand dollars for Christmas to catch up on some bills a friend hugged me and said, “God bless her Lord- she only needs a thousand.” Instead of the money I got a gift from the Lord- a deliverance from grief that had clouded many holidays for me. I had a happy Christmas and though I can’t deny the thousand dollars probably would have made me excited, to have a truly joyful day without any grief was a gift to my heart and soul that truly put my quality of life up many notches. I have had a verse on my computer all year- James 1:12 (MSG) “Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.” To life………