But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

It's an old riddle, this business of living. What are we here for? A British poet called life an incurable disease. Disraeli summed it up, "Youth is a blunder, life is a struggle, and old age a regret." With these answers in our pockets, we go home after a day at work and wonder out loud to our spouses whether it's worth the effort and think seriously about quitting our jobs or taking an early retirement.

I'd like to suggest there is a lot more to life than just our failures and our regrets. There's God of course, the...