Created for a Good Life

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.  And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
~ Genesis 1:26-31, KJV ~

The Christian tradition’s understanding of a good life involves us being in loving relationships with God and with others. Because we are created in the image of a Trinitarian God, our lives go well for us inasmuch as our relationships mirror the self-giving relationships among the members of the Trinity. This account of well-being is what moral philosophers call “perfectionist” in nature. Perfectionist theories of well-being present a specified ideal for all humans; and the extent to which a person’s life is a good one is the extent to which the person’s life exemplifies this specified ideal. So, on a Christian perfectionist theory of the good life, all people’s well-being ultimately rises and falls with the state of their relationships with others.
~ Kevin Kinghorn – The Human Search For the ‘Good Life’ ~

How am I able to become aware of my own weakness in accepting an unacceptable situation that is a reflection of my own self-respect? Am I one so easily provoked, pushed around, and neglected at the will of others? Is my own personal long-suffering attitude going to achieve any good results? Or will it only reinforce in other persons belief that they are capable of manipulating the situation to gain their own way? Am I being fair in allowing those around me to outmaneuver me? Will others come to faith and seek refuge in order to discover they were created for a good life without any compelling reason to do so – not only for their sake, for the sake of others around them?

I know I am an individual created for a good life through Jesus Christ. It is a royal and divine heritage for me to live out a good life. I must not look to others in order to experience a good life. I only need to look toward my Heavenly Father. After all, He created me in his own image and likeness. Empowered me to have authority and blessed me with having abundance in this life. I do not need to delude myself into thinking that I need to accept everything life may dish out. I only accept the truth of who Jesus Christ is and what he means for me today.

Today’s Prayer and Meditation

Heavenly Father, I pray to learn the way you see me as your child, created in your image and likeness. Created for a good life that is abundant in faith and courage. Bearing in my heart and mind the dignity and grace you have conferred upon every one of your children. Let me learn to live up to this picture of what it means to live a good life through Jesus Christ – one day at a time. In Jesus Name, Amen.