The pressures of life can seem overwhelming. Sixty-hour workweeks. Razor-thin balances in the chequebook every month. Children who demand unending boundless bursts of energy. You’ve been there? Me too.

As we peer into the pages of the prophet Micah, tucked away toward the end of the Old Testament, we discover three qualities that give us practical direction for pressured days. Micah taught that God expects His people “to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly” with Him (Micah 6:8 NASB2020). Many of Scripture’s most memorable characters powerfully demonstrate these qualities of a life well lived. Let’s take a look at just a few.

To Do Justice

Consider the Apostle Paul. Standing in chains before two Roman officials, falsely accused and well aware of his judges’ less-than-stellar moral character, Paul determined to do what’s right and to speak the truth in a gentle, sensible manner. He began by hiding nothing about himself from his regal interrogators, explaining his blood-stained history and resisting the temptation to sugarcoat his past. He painted the canvas realistically for all to ponder—grit on display.

But he didn’t just expose his past. Paul added grace to grit and recounted his vision of the living Christ, who had called him to a new life. Although Paul once engaged in persecution, now his mission consisted of proclamation (Acts 26:12–16). And proclaim he did! Paul powerfully embraced Micah’s directive to do what’s right...even in the face of a hostile audience.

To Love Kindness

Of all of the tough beginnings in the Bible, Joseph’s may have been the toughest. His brothers, tired of his visions of grandeur, threw him into a pit, sold him into slavery, and told their father Jacob that his favourite son had been killed (Genesis 37). How’s that for a dysfunctional family? The next few years brought Joseph a series of highs and lows: from a slave block in Egypt to the chief servant in a prominent household; from a filthy Egyptian prison to second-in-command of all Egypt (Genesis 39-41).

And when Joseph’s brothers travelled to Egypt for food during a famine, his high position afforded him the opportunity to repay their evil deeds with a boatload of revenge. But Joseph did just the opposite. He not only provided them food but also the choicest land in Egypt to sustain them during the lean years. Joseph understood that God sent him into Egypt to sustain his family during the famine, so he extended grace (Genesis 45:5–8, 50:20). Talk about loving what’s kind!

To Walk Humbly

Maybe David learned humility from his early life as the youngest in a family of shepherds. Or it could have come when he had to depend upon the Lord to deliver him against the much stronger Goliath. Maybe he learned to walk humbly during his many years on the run from King Saul. Or after his unbroken string of military victories—made possible only because of God’s work in his life. But true humility cost David much more.

In Psalm 51, we find David a broken and contrite man. On the heels of cataclysmic failure—not success—David discovered that circumstances had to turn against him before he learned the lesson of humility. And learn he did. Brought low before God and men, he realized his need for grace, cleansing, and renewal. David learned to walk humbly with his God.

These great lives stir our hearts and propel us to action. And there are others. Esther humbled herself to save her people. Job rested in God’s sovereignty as the salve for suffering. Elijah did what was right in the face of great opposition. And Moses prayed for the mercy of God on behalf of His people.

The principles behind Micah’s words permeated the lives of these ancient saints. And despite their antiquity, their powerful examples continue to provide practical insight today. As the overwhelming pressures of life rise over your head, let’s draw upon these practical principles—and learn from these great lives—as we fashion our own life well lived.

Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2002), 276–284. Copyright © 2002, Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. | Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, A Life Well Lived (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2007). Copyright © 2007, Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.