The Good Life: Lincoln Woods

“The Good Life,” to me, is a life driven by and filled with purpose. In my life, I find that the moments that are most fulfilling are the moments when I am working to achieve something great. As the historic football coach, Vince Lombardi, said, “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.” This is a quote that has inspired me and I believe applies very well to my definition of “the good life.” This is mostly due to the fact that having goals and dreams and working toward those goals are key to living a satisfying in my opinion.

From the Christian perspective, there are a few necessary guidelines to living my definition of “the good life.” In order to truly live “the good life,” you must be living a life for God. Having Christ-centered goals is what will really bring you happiness and joy. While making plans and working towards certain achievements are good and beneficial, in my experience, you will be left feeling empty. What defines living “the good life” for God is bringing people to know his kingdom and living by example. I hope to do just that by becoming a marriage counselor and helping people experience and maintain a long-lasting and satisfying marriage as God intended. By doing so, I’d like to use my position as a counselor as a platform for telling people about Jesus and his involvement in my life.

The key difference between a Christ-centered definition of “the good life” and a more secular definition of “the good life” is the individual’s definition of what they find satisfying. As mentioned earlier, a life of satisfaction for someone after God’s own heart is one driven by wanting to live a life that brings glory to God. A common tendency for those without a strong faith in God, on the other hand, is that they find satisfaction by doing things that bring them happiness and immediate gratification. Unfortunately, many things that bring this immediate gratification are often considered sinful to those living a life for God. One common feature of these two lifestyle’s definition of “the good life” is the pursuit of happiness, and for me, happiness is achieved by living a purposeful life for God.