What makes life good, or meaningful, or worthwhile? We frequently hear people try to answer that question when they or their loved ones are ill or dying, maybe because when the chips are down, people want to be clearer about what counts and what doesn’t. But, of course, the question can be addressed no matter who we are or where we are on life’s journey. Are you living in such a way, now, that life is good, that you feel you’ve made it mean something, and that it’s all worthwhile?
If you ask yourself questions like that periodically, then you are in good company. From among the earliest of biblical writings we find commentary upon what human life is supposed to look like and how we are to live it. Faithful people have always had an interest in living right. In fact, it has been said that once we acknowledge we’ve been granted life as a free gift of a gracious God, the first we question we ought to ask ourselves is, “How, then, shall we live?”
How are you utilizing the gift of life granted to you? How are you tending life, experiencing its blessings, honoring its value? Most of us, if we stop to think it over, would probably be able to name a few guidelines we follow to help us with the job of living right. The Ten Commandments, for example, are a good start. But interestingly, only a couple of those commandments are phrased as behavioral mandates (“thou shalts”). The remainder are phrased as prohibitions (“thou shalt nots”). Which implies that it’s just as important to avoid making serious mistakes as it is to produce positive results.
Someone recently showed us an article by Bianca Sparacino called “How to Ruin Your Life” that seems to underscore that conclusion. There are mistakes we make that are so serious, she says, that they may seem to ruin everything. For example, according to Sparacino, you can ruin your life by trying to follow others’ expectations without regard for your own happiness, by choosing the wrong people for your closest relationships, by allowing the past to determine the future, by engaging in constant comparisons to others, by becoming desensitized to life’s wonder and beauty, and by settling for what simply works rather than what excites and pleases.
These perceptive insights into tragic life mistakes could be Sparacino’s “thou shalt nots.” Don’t make these mistakes, she seems to say, and your life will offer more possibility and more opportunity. And, of course, she’s right.
But what if we’ve already made some of these mistakes? If our lives seem to have fallen to ruin around us, are our opportunities gone? Is the condition irreversible? Well, fortunately, many of us find that faith is more than wishful thinking. It allows us to place life-restoring trust in One who is capable of making all things new – One who can help to give even the most imperfect life a fresh start.
So watch out for the mistakes that can derail you, but remember that no matter where you’ve been, what you’ve done, or how life has dealt with you, the grace of God is more powerful than our mistakes. It’s always possible to begin again and do it right – finding a life that is good, meaningful, and very much worthwhile.