What makes a good life?

"A good life makes a man wise according to God and gives him experience in many things, for the more humble he is and the more subject to God, the wiser and the more at peace he will be in all things." - Thomas A Kempis


What is it that makes a good life?  We often use the term to refer to the attainment of great wealth that enables a life of leisure.  But so often the people who are idolized for attaining that "good life" seem to lead desperate and unhappy lives without peace or joy.  Is life good without peace or joy?  Can misery be assuaged with money or does your soul long for a higher purpose?  I am convinced that many of us are missing the true good life because we are pursuing a false one.  


Wealth is not bad or evil; the problem is that many of us lose ourselves in the pursuit of it.  The wealth becomes the goal, rather than the opportunities that come with it.  Why do we seek wealth?  The most common answer is that we want to spend more time with our family and friends.  But most of us spend so much time pursuing wealth that we don't take any time for our family and friends.  


The purpose of wealth is to share it, not by a mandate from authority, but joyfully and with a spirit of giving.  That is why our greatest wealth is found in giving of ourselves.  It brings us great joy and real peace to share ourselves because it is what God calls us to do.  That is what makes a good life.