Life is Always Good

I'm about to offend some people. I'm about to shock some people. I'm about to freak some people out, contradict my own experiences, and do what, despite all these obstacles, I consider to be inevitable: I'm going to say that life is always good.

What I'm not about to say is any sort of Polyanna gospel -- on the contrary, I believe that life is always bad.

Wait. Didn't I just say that life is always good? So how can it always be bad, as well?

Sorry to scare your socks off people, but you read that correctly. I firmly believe that life is both always good, and always bad. How is this possible? It's quite simple, really, which fortunately for you as a reader, means a short post.

Most of you readers are logic or rhetoric students, so I'll make this simple for you and give a set of five syllogisms.

1. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life."
2. Life is equal to itself by the reflective property. =D
3. Therefore, Jesus is life.

4. Jesus is good.
5. Jesus is life.
6. Therefore, life is good.

7. Satan, though not the epitome of evil, is still evil.
8. Evil is bad.
9. Therefore, Satan is bad.

10. Satan (temporarily) has dominion.
11. To have dominion is to have life in your control.
12. Therefore, Satan has life in his control. (temporarily and only under the permission of God)

13. Having control makes your subjects like you, in Satan's case bad.
14. Satan has life in his control.
15. Therefore, life is bad.

So how do those two concepts go together? Hopefully you noticed that the definitions of life were different. You see, true, eternal life is always good, and cannot be bad, though it may bring hard times upon us. Life as we refer to it, though, is bad. So why did I still title this post, "Life is Always Good"? I did so, because it is for me. I'm going to be downright honest: I have nearly lost both my parents due to different illnesses they suffered for a time. I have had my whole home flood and had to live like a maniac for a time thereafter. I have had big plans fall through. These troubles, though small compared to some, are still hard. But why are they not bad? Shouldn't they be terrible things that come upon me?

They should be. And far too often I treat them as such. Even so, they are not bad in and of themselves. Sin is bad. It is badness as bad as bad will ever be bad. It's disgusting before God (see previous post for details). But the trials that come my way? These are not bad. Difficulty stretches mankind. Isn't it always said that necessity is the mother of invention? So why can't trials be the mother of maturity? These things aren't fun. But God is sovereign, and he is allowing, in fact has ordained these things to happen. Sometimes I later discover the purpose of my sufferings -- sometimes I never do. It is frustrating.

The fact stands, though, that my faith is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Therefore, I will not fear, though the mountains give way, though the earth trembles. In God I trust. What can mortal man do to me?

So, life's "ruler" is bad. But he's a pseudo-ruler and I don't need to pay attention to him except as an arch enemy. The true ruler, though, has life in his perfect control, and I know that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord. I dare to say that true life is all good. Period. It is. Optimism? Maybe. Contentment and joy in Jesus Christ? Absolutely.

Meridian

-----
P.S. This is a direct response to another post on a different blog, and if the author of that disagrees, I'd love to hear her thoughts.