Through My Christian Prism, or at the Port Rail

Did you know that God wants you to enjoy life? As one famous American evangelist, Joyce Meyer, commented: "The truth is, God wants you to enjoy your life every day. Did you know that? If you didn’t, or maybe you just aren’t sure whether God approves of people enjoying their lives, take a look at John 10:10 (AMP). It says, The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."
The Old Testament is equally explicit: "LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalms 16: 5,6, 11)
There is a huge literature on how God wants you to live, but it is pretty clear that he wants you to enjoy life, each and every day. While walking my Jack Russell terrier "Flea" one wintry Sunday evening I saw a bunch of college kids playing different games on the fields besides the Student Recreation Center on the UA campus. They were having a good time, especially those concentrating on their pickup game of touch football.
Later that evening I found the disco classic Good Times by Chic recorded in 1979 and I turned it on You Tube, and with foot tapping to its intoxicating beat, I started this book.
What are good times? Why even write such a frivolous column? In the grand scheme of things, aren't there many more important themes to explore? Yes and no. As Flea and I turned the two-mile mark and headed back home, the sun having set and the wind colder, I thought, well, life is a search for good times, isn't it? Not just a disco tune with some dancing and clapping, but something deeper, related, in fact, to what life is all about.
Perhaps we could ask the "Great Guru" sitting on the top of the mountain when we finally scrape and pull ourselves to the summit, and, breathlessly ask, "Oh, Great Guru, what is the secret of life?"
And he will say, "Good times." So, we ponder on that back down the mountain, or as we finish our four-mile hike.
As Flea and I turned the corner back into our neighborhood, already dark, I saw some of my neighbor's kids zipping back home, one on a scooter, the other running, no doubt returning to mom or dad's call to dinnertime. They were having a good time for sure, and I thought, kids sure don't sweat a definition of good times.
Good times is about enjoying yourself. Perhaps it is skiing down a cold slope, barely but still in control, and, with a loud phew, heart pounding, reaching the bottom in one piece. That's good times plus excitement.
Or, it could be, in my case as a pilot, shooting an instrument approach through real weather, and emerging from rain-filled clouds and being just where you are supposed to be on that approach course, on about a half mile final and the "rabbit"--strobe lights in a line--flashing you in to safety. Wow, good approach, good landing, good times. Once again, done well.
Good times can come in the classroom or the laboratory or in any workplace for that matter. There's a direct relationship between hard work, or a devotion to exceling in whatever you are doing and good times. Sports provide good examples. If I work hard enough, especially at the game I love the most--golf--I may occasionally hit some pretty good shots, make some great chips and puts, and even put them all together for a spectacular round (for me at least), followed by a cold brew in the 19th hole to round out the good time.
There are many satisfying ways of having a good time, and not all of them are self-indulgent. One of the most satisfying, and I dare say, blessed, good times is doing good things for others, like giving Christmas gifts. At some point in our lives, we switch from the giddy excitement of receiving gifts as children, to the glow of seeing others made happy by our gifts.
We take pleasure in our children, hugs and kisses on babies and toddlers are spontaneous expressions of love unique for parents and children, and grandchildren and great grandchildren as we grow older. These are good, they gift us with happiness, one might even say something deeper and more abiding comes from these moments. They are what makes life worthwhile, those "aha" moments when something beautiful, something poetic is revealed to us.
There is a subtle transition in how we view good times in our lives. In the beginning and through childhood, good times are basically those times when we are made happy by circumstances and by others. It is basically about me. As we get older, when the sap in the trees goes down in the early winter, we find good things not simply in ourselves but in others and in what we can do for others.
There is a spiritual dimension that lends an even deeper significance to the flip phrase, good times. Believe it or not, God wants you to have a good time, plus some cash and good health to enjoy the ride.
It won't be all a bed of roses, since roses also have thorns, and so does life. Read the first fourteen verses of Deuteronomy 28, the ones devoted to the blessings of God, and you'll get the drift. God wants you to do right, but in doing right you will also find some good times coming your way. When you catch that wave or sense that moment, enjoy it and give thanks to God.