What It Means to Live Well
Image by @jfgodin on Unsplash
When we talk about living well, many of us instinctively think of success, accomplishments, and a life of comfort. A good career, stability, and achieving the goals we set for ourselves often shape our idea of a life well lived.
But what if living well isn’t only defined by success or ease?
Can a person still live well even in the presence of hardship, sorrow, or pain?
This question often brings to mind the story behind the hymn “It Is Well with My Soul”.
Life has a way of unfolding in unexpected ways. Joy and sorrow, blessings and difficulties can appear without warning. Plans we carefully build can change in a moment. We all know how fragile and unpredictable life can be. The question then becomes: how do we find peace when life feels turbulent?
The writer of this hymn, Horatio Spafford, understood this struggle deeply. He was once a successful lawyer and real estate investor, but his life was marked by a series of devastating losses. In 1871, he lost much of his wealth in the Great Chicago Fire. Around the same time, his young son died from illness.
Hoping to give his family a change of scenery, Spafford arranged for his wife and four daughters to sail to England, planning to join them later after finishing some work. During their journey across the Atlantic, tragedy struck. Their ship collided with another vessel and sank, claiming the lives of more than 200 passengers, including all four of his daughters. His wife, Anna, survived.
When she reached England, she sent a heartbreaking telegram to her husband with the words: “Saved alone. What shall I do?”
Spafford immediately set sail to meet her. During the voyage, the captain informed him when they were passing near the place where the shipwreck had occurred. In that moment of deep grief, words of reflection and faith began to form in his mind. He later wrote the hymn that would become known around the world.
One verse reads:
When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll—
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Storms will come, and some losses may never fully make sense. Yet the message of the hymn reminds us that peace can still exist within us, even when circumstances around us are difficult.
Personally, I’m not sure if I would have the same courage and strength that Spafford showed in that moment. But his story reminds me that living well is not only about what happens to us, but about the choices we make in response to those moments.
To live well is a conscious decision. It is choosing to live meaningfully and purposefully, even when life is imperfect. It is recognising the blessings that remain, even when some things have been lost.
In the end, living well may not be about having a life without storms, but about nurturing a heart that continues to seek gratitude, faith, and contentment.
Sometimes, living well simply begins with remembering to count our blessings.
