My Goodness!

Here’s our newest contribution to the One-Word-At-A-Time Blog Carnival. I encourage you to click the link and check out some of the other carnival attractions. This week’s word is:

GOODNESS

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. [Galatians 5:22-23]

When you proclaim God is good, what exactly do you mean?

As a practical matter, what does the goodness that’s a fruit of the Spirit look like?

Last week I wrote an article called Good … in which I confessed my tendency to define good in rather self-centered terms—if I like it, it’s good. The next day I disagreed with the common notion that It’s All Good.

But—what’s good?

I presume that goodness as fruit of the Spirit is some reflection of the pure goodness of God, but what exactly does that imply? Do you ever wonder why such a simple, foundational concept as God’s goodness creates so much confusion and even controversy?

GOOD MEANS …

A good boy follows the rules.
Good food is most likely bad for me.
A good joke makes me chuckle, but a good movie might make me cry.
I seek good friends, but might avoid a good (not great) surgeon.
If there’s good reason, I’ll wait a good long time to have a good time.
I work hard for admission to a good school; I’m merely satisfied with a good used car.
I feel good even though my legs aren’t so good.
C.S. Lewis said that trying very hard to be good only reveals how bad you truly are.
Good is the enemy of best.

Good describes music, public policy, neighborhoods, and weather—all in different ways, almost all a matter of highly subjective opinion. Small wonder that God’s goodness evokes such widely varied, and equally subjective, thoughts and images.

And then there’s the whole notion that God works for good in all things [Romans 8:28]. Just yesterday someone told me that I should see my injury as a good thing because so much good has come from it.

Pardon the sarcasm, but if permanent paralysis is good, I might be willing to take my chances with bad.

Please don’t misunderstand. I absolutely believe that God works for good—my good, what’s ultimately in my very best interest—in all circumstances. But what is the good toward which He works?

I think we miss the point when we define good in terms of the things of this world. I think He has something much bigger in mind.

For me, God’s goodness manifests itself in His generous, sacrificial desire for open, authentic, transparent relationship. He wants to bring me closer to Him. He works in all circumstances to break down the enemy’s barriers.

God desires relationship with me so much that He paid the price of His Son to achieve it.

That’s the whole message of Relentless Grace. I give up; He’s faithful. I mess up; He pays the price for my forgiveness. I wander off; He pursues me, finds me, and brings me home.

That’s grace. That’s agape. That’s authentic goodness.

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

When I live God’s way, His Spirit grants to me some small measure of His desire for relationship. I value people more than things, service more than profit, empowerment more than entitlement. I seek intimacy and vulnerability rather than power and control.

I become a bit more like Jesus.

If you’re interested, I’ve just released a new free e-book titled IF GOD LOVES ME SO MUCH, WHY …? Please click the link and read some of my thoughts about God’s role in times of adversity. Please visit my resources page for other free e-books.

I’ve learned that my goal shouldn’t be to affect change. It’s too easy to think I’ve failed because rarely is the person who plants the seed of change the person to see it bloom. Instead I’ve decided to make my goal to affect good. Trying to affect change can feel overwhelming, but good always self-propagates and ultimately leads to the change we’re usually after.

Did you enjoy this article? I encourage you to leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net.