The Secret Life of Water Mitty, an excellent new film directed by and starring Ben Stiller, depicts a shy photography analyst who learns to take life by the horns and embrace his desires for adventure and excitement. Everything from the cinematography to the soundtrack invites the audience to experience Mitty’s transition from timid office worker to adventurer. The beautiful backdrop of exotic locations are visually stimulating and exciting. However, the spectator is in danger of coming away with a myopic notion of what makes a life worth living.
A well-lived life is not merely a collection of exciting events, locations, and people. The truly good life must have a great and noble purpose. The pursuit of the good, the true, and the beautiful can take a myriad of forms. From scaling a mountain to fighting a war, to selling stocks or insurance policies, the common denominator of a good life is a great purpose.
For the Christian, this purpose is spelled out clearly: to love God and enjoy him forever. This means every expense sheet filed or summit mounted discovers its animating force in the beauty of God’s design for humanity. The Christian is a part of God’s regeneration of creation. Therefore, every act of defending and sustaining a just civilization through economic exchange, academic contributions, charitable work, or any one of the millions of diverse capacities situates one in an exciting story.
The measure of a well lived life in the Christian story is one devoted to the Supreme Legislator. The most important component of this life is to have one’s meaning defined and directed externally. Whenever we try to gain happiness for its own sake, we are left with the most lasting heartache.
As long as one’s purpose is directed towards the truth, a sense of fulfillment will not fail to follow. Even if you don’t scale the Himalayas or jump out of a helicopter today, know that your life can be crammed full of more purpose and fulfillment than you have ever imagined.
Elizabeth Barret Browning said it best: “Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”