“Living the Good Life” was born out of my deepest heart’s desire to live my absolute BEST life today and every day, for as long as I shall live on this great big earth. In growing up, I have learned that life is what you make it. Every day you are presented with a choice – to go through life passively, numb to what’s around you, or to live wide awake, embracing every moment – the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly – finding the purpose and value in what you become and learn along the journey.
I think most of us want to live an abundant, rich, full, and meaningful life. We pursue an education, build a career, marry the person of our dreams, buy a home, raise a family, travel, etc., etc. We capture it all on camera, update our statuses, and tweet all of this goodness out to the world around us as we savor the awesome lives we’ve been blessed to live. But then there are days we struggle. There are days we feel stuck and alone. Moments when we are discouraged, deeply challenged, and afraid. Days that have us asking, “Is this it?” And times where we stand up from our desk and exhale the words, “I want more.”
It’s totally normal, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve felt this way on more than one occasion in the past few months. Life is crazy sometimes. It throws us unexpected curveballs from left-field and can be downright painful, even bloodying us in the process. But then comes a breakthrough, a light at the end of the tunnel. Someone comes along, we read or hear something that gives us hope, puts us back on the straight and narrow, and returns us to a place of wholeness and contentment. And those moments of redemption are what keep us going when the going gets tough.
In all of my listening and reading lately, one theme keeps being replayed: Live a Good Story. Whether I’m feeling blessed, or feeling stressed. Whether I’m happy, or I’m sad. Whether everything in life seems to be going perfectly, or it’s just plain messy and chaotic. The point is to live a good story. To roll with what is going on – asking and seeking for what it all means in the end, and who I’m becoming in the meantime; choosing to believe that nothing is for nothing; that everything is for something bigger and better than we could ever imagine in our wildest dreams.
It might seem lofty or maybe it sounds too simple. But for me, it’s an encouragement. I’m learning to not take life so seriously and to really enjoy it. And it’s different from I thought it would be. It doesn’t mean I’m smiling, laughing, and skipping merrily through all of my days. For me, it’s a feeling of being settled in where I’m at currently, sure of what I want moving forward, and trusting that all things are working together for my good. It’s knowing that the reason I crave more is because I was made for more; that I am on the right track and growing even when it feels like it’s all wrong and I’m standing still.
My goal in all that I do, is to live the good life; to live a good story. It’s my hope for all of us that no matter where our paths have taken us, no matter what we are facing or how we are feeling today, we would be choosing to see the beauty and magic of life all around us. That we would be present to every moment and open to the possibilities of where our journeys may lead. My prayer is that someday, many years from now, we will look back reflecting on our life course, and only be able to say this one word: “Wow.”
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Thoughts on Living a Good Story…
“It’s okay to want, and it’s okay to want more. Wanting more has nothing to do with being unsatisfied or lacking in your present reality. It’s being open to the more God wants to bring to you in your own life. The possibilities for you are limitless! They are. Yes, they are.” -Stasi Eldredge, Becoming Myself
“The good life comes like most good things – unexpectedly – in moments that are fading away faster than we realize. These are the moments that take our time but don’t demand our attention. When we miss them, they’re gone. In those times especially, we would do well to slow down and be present, because we won’t get them back.” -Jeff Goins, The In-Between
“So [this is] where my mind and heart are these days: more moments of heaven, and less locking of the knees. More awareness of God’s presence and action and ability, and less stranglehold on my fear and anxiety. More floating, and less getting tumbled.” -Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet
“[God’s] just waiting for us to wake up, to take responsibility, and to start living life with Him. He’s waiting for us to do something beautiful, something courageous, something totally out of the ordinary.” -Allison Vesterfelt, Packing Light
Melinda Bach says
Hannah, you are such a beautiful writer, thank you!! It seems like your messages are always exactly what I need to hear when I read them! What a wonderful inspiration you are. 🙂
Hannah says
I’m so glad you find joy in these posts, Melinda! Thank you for your kind words. Have a blessed day! 🙂