Pura Vida

It seems as though everyone is talking about "pura vida". Garrison Keillor is the latest to write about it. "Pura Vida" literally translated means pure life. "Pura Vida" is the unofficial national motto of the country of Costa Rica. The Costa Ricans use the phrase to express "strong community, perseverance, good spirits, enjoying life slowly and celebrating good fortune of magnitudes small and large alike."

So, were can a person go to experience this kind of life? Is strong community and the enjoyment of life only available to Costa Ricans? If you are to believe Garrison Keillor, pura vida is best defined by those who live in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles! Garrison, you are kidding me, right? Now, southern California is a beautiful part of the country with some spectacular natural resources. It's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Los Angeles has a lot going for it, but I'm sorry, it's not the source of pura vida.

What is Garrison Keillor thinking about? Perhaps he was referring to Los Angeles violent crime rate that is twice the national average for murder, robbery and aggravated assult. Perhaps he is thinking about the fact that Los Angeles is ranked the most polluted city in the US according to a 2007 American Lung Association report. Or perhaps he is thinking about the cost of living in Los Angeles that is the third highest of any major US city. In case you're interested, the cost of living in Los Angeles is 75.0% higher than in Cedar Rapids.

And tell me this, if LA is such a great place, why is Kobe Bryant demanding to be traded from the Lakers? Why does he want out of Los Angeles?

If Los Angeles isn't the keeper of pura vida, where do we turn? Where do we go to find pure life? Is life found in a particular city or country?

Life in all its fullness is found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the "way, the truth and the life." He is the one who came that we may "have life, and have it to the full." He is the one who reminds us that a "man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Jesus is the giver of all life - life that is full and pure!

Following Jesus and being on mission with Him is the essence of real life. To follow Jesus is to live life to the fullest. People like John Sage have discovered the difference a relationship with Christ can make. At 36 years old, John Sage had accomplished it all. He was a millionaire entrepreneur with a devoted wife and two fine sons. But 100 hour work weeks at Microsoft left him empty and burned out.

A conversation with friend and missionary, Chris Dearnley, resulted in the two of them starting Pura Vida Coffee. The mission of Pura Vida is to create good by using capitalism to empower producers, motivate consumers, inspire business leaders, and ultimately serve the poor. To date, Pura Vida has distributed over $1.5 million, which helps provide clothes and food to street kids, job training, libraries, computer centers, and scholarships to children in Costa Rica and other coffee growing countries.

John Sage and others like him have learned that real life is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ and by being on mission with Him. Aligning our life around His purposes is the way to a life worth living. Jesus is the way to a full and engaged life - pura vida!