A Beautiful Life

For today’s topic, I wanted to discuss what life is really about. Many people, usually non-Christians, find it difficult to determine the purpose of life and why we’re here. Life isn’t merely about getting a good education and living financially wealthy. Although they are good accomplishments and the world may tell you that’s success, what does God’s word tell us? I think William M. Golden did an amazing job answering this question with the hymn he wrote back in 1918 titled, “A Beautiful Life”.

The referenced scripture for this hymn is James 2:18, which reads, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith by my works.” As Christians, we know that faith without works is dead, which is also written in James, chapter 2 verse 26. We can have faith in the Lord and believe that He is real. But are we SHOWING that we believe in Him? Are we portraying the life that is acceptable to Him? I’m sure we’re all familiar with the phrase, “Actions speak louder than words.” Are our actions showing that we truly believe in God’s word?

Verse 1 of this hymn says, “Each day I’ll do a golden deed by helping those who are in need. My life on earth is but a span, and so I’ll do the best I can.” The first sentence of this verse talks about helping those who are in need. Not when you feel like it. Not every other day or on one of your free weekends, but each day. The Bible frequently tells us to help others in need. In 1 John 3:17-18, the apostle John tells us, “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” As Christians, we should not only help others when they’re in need, but seek the opportunity to do so! As said in the second sentence of verse 1 in this hymn, our life on earth is but a span, and we should do the best we can. We don’t know when our last day on this Earth will be. James 4:14 tells us that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Who’s to say some type of bad accident won’t occur to where we can’t walk again? We can’t see again? Unable to hear again? We can easily turn into the people we are or are not helping. As said at the end of this verse in James, we’re “a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” Anything can happen, in the blink of an eye. Let’s help others while we have the breath and ability to do so. It’s what the Lord wants. It should be a part of our daily lives. 

On to verse 2 of the hymn. “To be a child of God each day, my light must shine along the way. I’ll sing His praise while ages roll, and strive to help some troubled soul.” The writer starts this verse off educating us on how to be a child of God EACH day. We must “let [y]our light shine before others, so that they may see [y]our good works and give glory to [y]our Father who is in heaven.” As spoken by Jesus Himself in Matthew 5:16. When I hear “let your light shine”, I think of a very dark path outside, no streetlights, flashlights, or even the moonlight. Then I think of a small crowd of people following me, all scared and having no clue where to go. Some even walk in the wrong direction and bump into trees and stepping on painful things along the way. The path is only seen after I begin to glow. The light from within my heart is filled with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Every fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Now the people that see me know which path to take, the best way to go. This is how we are to live each and every day. Making sure that anyone who sees us, sees the light in us and hopefully, follows you on that path to Christ. 

The second part of verse two says “I’ll sing His praise while ages roll, and strive to help some troubled soul.” As written in Colossians 3:16, singing praise to the Lord is also a form of teaching His word. And we are to do this while “ages roll”, which is every single day. We’re all continuously aging, so we should continually sing His praise! Continually teach His word! Now in the latter part of this sentence, the word “strive” sticks out to me. For my returning listeners, you know that this means its Term Time! The word strive means to “make great efforts to achieve or obtain something”. Another definition is to “struggle or fight vigorously”. I find them both interesting. Because they illuminate how hard we are to try to help a troubled soul. I know there are some people that may seem impossible to help, I’ve come across a few. But that doesn’t mean you give up the first time you’re shut down or turned away. Where would we be today if Jesus did so? Almost everywhere He preached God’s word, there were some that were so angered by His words that they wanted to kill Him! Matthew 26:3-4, Luke 22:2, John 5:16-18, John 7:1, John 8:58-59, and I’m sure there are many more instances that weren’t recorded. Same with the apostles. They were arrested and beaten on multiple occasions, trying to help troubled souls. On our daily walk as Christians, we are to have the same faith and bravery while spreading God’s word. Trusting that He will be with us and protect us along the way. 

Continuing to verse 3 and 4 of the hymn, Golden tells us the type of life we should be living. “The only life that will endure, is one that's kind and good and pure. And so for God I'll take my stand, each day I'll lend a helping hand.“ “I’ll help someone in time of need, and journey on with rapid speed. I’ll help the sick and poor and weak. And words of kindness to them speak.” I decided to combine these verses because I feel like they sort of play on each other. Verse 3 begins by telling us that the only life that will endure is the one that’s kind and good and pure.

When singing this song, I never realized the importance of what Golden is saying here. “The only life that will endure” doesn’t just emphasize life here on Earth, but eternal life as well. Through Jesus’s teachings, we learn that purity of heart and righteousness are valued. Jesus says in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” If we are to remain good and pure while on Earth, we shall continue on to everlasting life with the Lord. Maintaining a purity of heart in a challenging world can indeed be difficult, but God’s word offers us guidance on how to acquire such a heart. Seek Him wholeheartedly, Psalm 51:10. Guard your heart, Proverbs 4:23. Focus on the things above, Colossians 3:2. Pursue righteousness, Matthew 5:6. And rely on the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:16. Everything we need is there. We just have to open our hearts up to reading and studying it. Daily. 

Verse 3 of the hymn ends with, “So for God I’ll take my stand, each day I’ll lend a helping hand.” Continuing on to verse 4, “I’ll help someone in time of need, and journey on with rapid speed. I’ll help the sick and poor and weak.” Notice how the last sentence in verse 3 begins with “So for God”. How is it that us helping others helps God? How does it do Him any good for us to do good? Doing good and helping others is deeply connected to God’s nature and His commandments and it brings glory to Him in several ways. In 1 John 4:12 it is stated, “If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” By showing love and kindness to others, we reveal God’s nature and presence to them. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus identifies Himself with those in need, indicating that acts of service toward others are acts of service toward Him. Galatians 6:9 emphasizes how our actions can lead others to experience God’s love and encourage them to seek Him, contributing to the spread of God’s love and righteousness. Overall, our good works are a natural expression of our faith and trust in God. Doing good is an extension of His love and grace through us, bringing Him glory and fulfilling His desires for a loving, just, careful, and merciful world. While God is complete and lacks nothing, our actions of goodness honor Him and draw others closer to His love and truth, contributing to His purpose and plan for humanity.

Now, I can honestly admit that the phrase, “journey on with rapid speed” in verse 4 had me stumped for a while. But then I came across Ephesians 5:15-16, and it helped me to understand a bit more. It urges us to “walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” This calls for an urgency in pursuing God’s will and making the most of every opportunity to do good.

And on to the last verse. “While going down life’s weary road, I’ll try to lift some traveler’s load. I’ll try to turn the night to day; make flowers bloom along the way.” I feel like this verse was the perfect way to end this hymn. Golden writes about going down the weary road of life, which we all surely know about. But instead of moping or expecting help from others, he finds a way to help others and make THEIR lives easier. This verse brought me to the realization that throughout this whole hymn, the writer didn’t once speak about anything that would help him or anything that he needed. He only talked about what he will do for others and most of all, what He will do to please the Lord. And this, my friends, is what life is truly about. Knowing God and enjoying a relationship with Him, aligning with His will, and expressing His love to others. Life is preparation for eternity with our Lord and Savior. Thank you for talking with me, let’s walk with Him.