"This Is The Life". Is It?

Cheryl and I were recently walking along the beach in Washington.  Just steps from the beach were some very nice town homes that provided the occupants with some wonderful views of the Puget Sound and the Cascade Mountain range.

Some of the townhomes had big windows facing the water.  Others had balconies.  The units on the ground floor had a patio area that faced the water.  As we walked by, I noticed a wrought iron plaque on one of the patio walls that read:  “This Is The Life”.

As I contemplated it, I was tempted to agree.  With such views to look at on daily basis, it could be argued that “This Is The Life”.  Yet, as I walked on, I wondered how “The Life” is really defined or measured?  Is it what we have?  Is it how much we have?

The Apostle Paul, from his own experiences, wrote about some things that are crucial to answering those questions:

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”  (Philippians 4:11-13)

You could wonder if Paul had just learned to adjust his lifestyle to whatever economic situation he was experiencing.  But I don’t think that is the case since he referenced, in another place, to being content in areas that had nothing to do with having plenty or being in want.  He wrote:  “Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”  (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Was Paul just able to rise above his circumstances?  Or, did he simply not allow himself to be brought down by them?    Maybe it was just a matter of resigning himself to his fate. 

None of those scenarios seem to really get to the heart of what Paul was trying to communicate.  In difficulties and troubles, whether economic, social, cultural or religious or even stemming from his own personal weaknesses, Paul had learned to be content.  This learning was most likely built upon a growing trust in the wisdom and goodness of God, the One who had placed him in those very circumstances.  Furthermore, Paul recognized that his ongoing ability to be content was based on the strength that the Lord provided.

Without actually having used the words “This Is The Life”, I think Paul actually described what “The Life” is really all about.  It’s about trusting God for whatever circumstances He has placed us in and it’s also about living in those circumstances by the strength that the Lord provides!