10 Reasons, Why Life is Worth Living

Romans 8:28 

And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Lately I have been sad and blue

Sickly sweet melancholy, a winter so bleak

Turbulently suffocating my spring desire – Judith Adaobi Udeke

If you are one of very few lucky people on earth, your life is perfect right now.  You are physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy.  Your parents are healthy; they don’t saddle you with unwanted chores and they are not even the least bit annoying. Your children are perfect little angels all the time, or better yet, you have no children J!  Of course, I am assuming you are not one of those praying fervently or paying thousands of dollars to be blessed with the financial and physical onus of raising a child.

You also have a perfect job where you are adequately praised by the boss and respected by all your colleagues, and if you happen to be a student, school is going great, no stress at all there.  Your friends are fun, uplifting, loving and everything you want them to be.  No one you know came to untimely death at the hands of sickness or violence.

Your bank account makes you smile stars every time you remember all that leading zeros…  If this is you, then you have never asked yourself why you should not just quit.  Why you should continue to go to school, to dream big, go to work, plan for the future, care for your kids and your parents….  Why Life is Worth Living?

If you have never asked yourself this question, never considered quitting, even for a second, you can stop right here.  But if you have pondered just why you should go on living and pursuing happiness, whatever that may be for you, then this list is for you.

So, Why is Life Worth Living?  I asked this question to myself and to friends and family and this is what I got.

1.     Life is worth living because there is always hope that the world will become a little better because you are living in it. 

2.    Life is worth living because life is a gift, we didn’t have to work to get life, it was given to us and we should make the most of the most precious gift of all.

3.     Life is worth living because, no matter how bad things are, there are some parts of being alive that feel great. If you disagree, spend some time with nature.

4.   Life is worth living because your life has a potential to influence others.  John Donne, an English poet once wrote “No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main… Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.”

5.    Life is worth living so that you can fulfill the purpose set forth by God/ your maker/the one that gave you life.  When you don’t like your life, this becomes kinda like putting on that ugly sweater your grandma gave you so you can make her happy.

6.    Life is worth living so that you can live out those big plans you have made. 

7.    Life is worth living because tomorrow may bring your greatest desires with it.  What if tomorrow is the day you finally win that lottery, land that dream job, get pregnant, find happiness, the list goes on.

8.    Life is worth living because everything work together for our good, even hardship.  How many hardships have you looked back on and been thankful for?  I know that I am very thankful, I made two very difficult decisions to have my babies under very challenging circumstances because if I didn’t, I would have less to live for.

9.    Life is worth living because of the people you put a smile on their faces, those who get their will to live from you, and those who work hard to put a smile on your face.

10.  Life is worth living because according to Mommy dearest “God gave life and said it is good”, God is Truth and mommy is always right so you should believe it!  Don’t let the devil tell you otherwise, we all know he is a liar!!

11.   Lagniappe – as we Louisianans like to give. Life is worth living Because HE Lives.  My Faith is strong enough to carry me on when everything fails.  Because God Lives, I can face tomorrow...  Oh how I love that song!

Big thanks to all my Facebook friends and family that contributed to this list.  This is by no means an exhaustive list but it is a good start and if you don’t find any reason here that makes life worthwhile, please drop me a line on the comment box or send me an e-mail judith.udeke@gmail.com and we can talk about your specific situation and why your life is worth living.

Stay Strong!

God Bless.