The Good In Us
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. (James 1:17-18)
This just in. I’m a Christian. In all my greatness and flaws, this is who I am. While far from perfect, I strive to ever be a good steward of God in everything I do. There is this word that God seemed to impress upon me recently. The word is ‘goodness.’ Not in the way that my mom would say when I was six years old as I spilled the milk glass. “Goodness gracious, Kent!” More about something that you perceive. For example, my group of friends at church that I meet with. Whenever we get together, there is just the abundant feeling of genuine goodness that surrounds us. I feel it from the moment I am in route to see them through hours after we have departed. There is a worship song called ‘Wait On You’ that talks our relationship with God. The chorus line simply says:
I’m gonna wait on you
I’m gonna wait on you
I’ve tasted your goodness
I’ll trust in your promise
While at times struggling with the ‘wait’ part of it, I feel God’s goodness and know of His promises. I trust in those things when I struggle staying on the righteous pathway. That is truly who we are as Christians.
We must never lose faith in who we to God. We are incredibly valuable as are those around us. There are times that I worry about how we as Christians are perceived. Yes, I too have been critical of how we are and things we could do better, but there is more to us than that. There is a genuine goodness that is often overlooked. We want to be good stewards of that which God has given us. We are merciful, resilient, courageous, and forgiving. And here is the thing that we often overlook. We have an unlimited willingness to do better. James understood this view in God’s gifts given to us. This makes perfect sense because if we are made in God’s image and whatever is good and perfect a gift from God, how could we not be anything but good despite our flaws. God does not want us to be Him. He wants us to reflect Him so that even as we are not perfect, we are found flawless in His eyes. When we think of God, we often see Him as the standard we can never attain. However, when God see us, He sees us as the child He adores and for the possibilities and (this word again) goodness within. When we are critical of our own self-worth, remember how valued we are by Him who is good, and we can have confidence in His promises to us.
There is so much goodness within you! Paul spoke of it in Romans. He understood that the Gentiles were still learning about who God and Jesus were. He said:
I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:14-16
So, despite what others might say, we will always be representative of what can be good on Earth as it would be in Heaven. Let us shake off the naysayers and continue to work as a God’s chosen and sometimes imperfect messengers. What reminders of God’s goodness can you reflect on today? How can you continue to strengthen your own self-worth using God’s lens? My prayer is that we remember how God sees us and see the good in us. Amen.