I don't want to live in a passive state of waiting; I
want to live in a chronic state of, "this is the good life."
When I heard Annie Downs say this, I scoffed teenager-style,
and could not imagine it really being true. How is the life I’m living the good
life?
At the time, I was in the midst of my roughest semester of
college, 18 credit hours and a teaching practicum twice a week. I was struggling immensely with my physical
and mental health. It was one of the lowest times I’ve experienced in my life.
So. This is the good life? Really? How can life be good when
it’s so stinking hard?
The Psalms say, “Today is a day the Lord has made. Rejoice and
be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24).
This is the day the Lord has made. Everyday is a day He has
made- whether good, bad, amazing, or ugly. And I should rejoice and be glad in
it. It doesn't say to rejoice only on the good days, or when life is going as I
think it should. It simply says today- no matter what kind of day it is.
That's really, really hard, y'all...especially when the hard days
outnumber the good ones.
I’m tired of waiting for a better day tomorrow, or a better
week, or a better life. I don’t want to wait on the good life anymore.
A good life, I've finally begun to realize, doesn't mean all of
my days will be good. Far from it. Nowhere does God say the life he’s giving us
isn’t going to have bad moments or rough patches. But he promises that life
will be good, even when the days aren’t.
So why am I waiting for this good life-when God has given me a
good life now?
I’ve also realized that while I may have some bad days, and
some hard days: God is always in them. As the beautiful lyrics from the Jesus Culture song, "Come Away" say: “I have a plan
for you. It’s gonna be wild, it’s gonna be great, it’s gonna be full of me.”
Life will be hard. But it will be full of Him- and he will make life worth it
all. Life is good simply because of who He is and what He is doing in my life-
not because of my circumstances, or how many good days I can string together in
a row. Life is good because HE is good. No waiting on a good life with Him is
necessary.
We see it all over the Psalms-- cries from David about how hard
life gets, yet He still follows God. He is still a man after God’s own heart,
even when the days are long and his life is in shambles. David doesn’t wait on
God to make his life better; he chooses to find the good in what God has
already given him, and doesn’t accept a bad moment or a bad day as a bad life.
We don’t need to live in waiting for a good life to randomly
appear amidst the life we have now. He already given us a good life. We just
have to remember and choose to rejoice over it.
Instead of waiting for the good life- I want to start rejoicing
in the life I have now, even if it’s not what I want or expected.
On the bad days, I will look for reminders that this life is
good. I will look for the fingerprints of God in the moments of my days- no
matter what kind of day it is, He is working, moving, and making things new on
my behalf. Even on the worst of days- His love for me is prevalent in the
smallest of details. I have to train myself to look for it.
No matter what kind of day today has in store, it is a part of
the one wild, beautiful, good life God has for you. Let’s stop waiting on the
good life, and start embracing the good life we have already been given- and
rejoice in it, because it is GOOD!
{photo: @katebooyes}
About the Author
Jordan Taylor is a 22 year old student living in the suburbs of Nashville, her lifelong hometown. She is currently studying to be an English teacher, and hopes to have a classroom full of crazy, loud middle schoolers in her near future! Jordan enjoys reading, long walks (anywhere, not just the beach!), crafting, listening to music, playing with her pug, Lola, and writing. She is learning how to be brave, love adventure, and try new things (a lifetime work in progress!). Jordan loves Jesus with all that she is, and is learning to let Him love her too. She enjoys rambling and writing about her faith at her blog, http://taylorjm.