Life's Been Good

What if the story you think you've been writing...really isn't yours at all?

Leaving the house recently, I received a text from EPD (David Daniel) asking how I'd been. And since a Joe Walsh clip had just played on my phone (Life's Been Good to Me So Far) the combined events got me to thinking. How have I been...so far?

Walsh wrote his song in 1978 when he was thirty and riding the highs of rock-star success. I primarily listened for the rhythm and guitar, but I do remember the lyrics as well. The song was funny and boastful, citing limos, mansions, and various other excesses as at least tongue-in-cheek evidence that "life" had rewarded him up to that point.

When you're younger, it's easier to see ourselves as the directors of our own stories, taking way too much credit for successes and of course blaming life, others, or cosmic misfortune for any setbacks. Our youthful, ego-centric self attempts to convince us that the good in life comes from what we achieve, and the bad comes from the mistakes of others or some set of random circumstances.

I hope, though, that as we mature, our accumulated experiences and reflections begin to shift our perspective. Can we at least begin to see how little we truly control, how much is shaped by forces beyond us—how fleeting the rewards of effort and ambition tend to be?

So many of our successes are often supported by the unseen choices and contributions of others, by timing, and by circumstances we not only didn't command but had little or nothing to do with. Our struggles, too, often carry lessons or hidden blessings we only recognize in our rearview mirrors.

The ultimate realization — the lynchpin of maturity I believe — is that God is the director in our stories. The good we enjoy is not earned solely by our efforts, nor are the challenges we face simply the fault of others or cosmic fate. God works all things — joys, setbacks, mistakes, and victories — for our good when we love Him. This awareness frees us from pride when things go well and from resentment when they go poorly. It allows us to step back, trust our emerging story to Him, and recognize His hand is ultimately active in every chapter of our lives.

Our perspective can begin changing in other ways, too. What once seemed critical — fame, fortune, status among our peers — lessens in importance as we mature. What endures — family, relationships, and love—takes on far greater significance.

And gratitude only makes sense when it's assigned to someone else. We become thankful not for what we "earned," but for who provided it and how God sustains us. Maturity is less about control and more about surrender, trust, and an awareness of the bigger picture.

Is Life Still Good? I decided to check up on Joe Walsh, who just turned 78. My sense is, like all of us, he remains a work-in-progress. But he appears to be in a far better place than he was in 1978 when he wrote that song—far more focused on gratitude and the importance of relationships. Especially since he sobered up in 1995.

Joe Walsh's story provided me with a helpful reminder. His younger self celebrated the excesses and luck of life. Today, he acknowledges sobriety, family, and gratitude, and credits a higher power for sustaining him through mistakes and chaos. While his full set of experiences is unique to him, it's at least somewhat consistent with a universal truth: our understanding deepens with age, and the recognition of God's sovereignty is key to transforming that perspective.

At a relatively young age, Joe Walsh once sang that life had been good to him so far. I just turned 66, and I'm thinking the same. But I'm slowly gaining a far greater appreciation for why it's been good and the One who has been behind my song all along.