Unlock the good life: 3 keys open this treasure

On a recent sailing trip to the BVI, I saw three treasures for a good life.

BVI The Good Life — Floating with God, my wife, and friends in the BVI/Photo by Marc Abadie

Our friends, Marc and Sandy Abadie, invited us on the trip of a lifetime.

They have sailed with family and friends over thirty years throughout the British Virgin Islands.

So, when they texted us and asked, “Do you want to go sailing in three weeks?” My wife said, “I’m so excited, I can scream!”

The British Virgin Islands are renowned for their aqua-blue waters and diverse array of marine life. We saw hawksbill turtles gliding through coral gardens and pods of dolphins playing in Virgin Gorda Sound and eagle rays soaring past the dramatic rock formations at The Indians.

No one can replicate paradise’s locations and circumstances every day.

However, the BVI offers rich reminders for living a good life.

1. Enjoy your spouse

A good marriage goes a long way toward a good life.

Judy and I just celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary.

Our marriage has been a spectacular voyage anchored by love and enjoying simply being together.

Good life good wife — New Orleans/Judy and Steve Blaising December 1992

Enjoy life in BVI — New Orleans/Judy and Steve Blaising December 1992

What kind of marriage adds up to a good life?

Two people who see each other. Two people who enjoy life together.

Someone asked Josh Vincent what it was like to lose his wife to cancer. He answered with one word.

“Invisible. When a girl looks at a guy in a movie and says, ‘You see me.’ She means there is a person in this world who gets her. After 14 years with Cari, I felt like she saw me, all of me, and she loved me anyway. And now the one person who saw me is gone.” The Gospel Coalition/January 2019

Being seen most intimately by another is a treasure for a good life.

2. Friends and the good life

Like geese in formation, humans thrive on close contact. Close friends.

We thrive on being known, and we excel by sharing our best.

The Abadies designed our BVI adventure around six couples.

Shared experiences spark new friendships and deepen others.

And as any goose will tell you, it’s the only way to fly.

3. Rekindle spiritual vitality

The BVI shouted the Almighty’s presence in . . .

power
colors
creatures

Captain Marc asked me to do a brief Sunday morning devotional.

I read Psalm 139: 7-10.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, you are there;
if I spread out my bed in hell, indeed, you are there. If I take the wings of the dawn,
and settle down in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

For those who trust their life into God’s hands, they “frolic like well-fed calves.” Malachi 3:16.

Breakfast on Virgin Gorda after a hike in the Baths/Photo by Richard David

They frolic because God knows their name. A good life includes the joy of God calling you His daughter or His son. Our names matter so much to Him that He records them in the “book of life.” Ps. 69:28; Luke 10:20

So, go enjoy your spouse, the one who sees you; treasure close friends; and draw near to the Almighty every day for a good life.

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