Defining Goodness

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Psalm 23:6

CAN WE REVISIT one word today in our journey through Psalm 23? Because it needs some extra attention: goodness.

What exactly constitutes goodness?

If the world were built around my selfish desires, goodness would mean an absence of pain. It would mean comfort on all sides of life. Goodness would guarantee protection and safety for me and everyone I love. It would include an unlimited supply of shoes, donuts, and puppies (with none of the work).

But when we find Paul writing about goodness to the church in Rome, he gives us a fresh perspective:

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Romans 8:28-29, NIV

Good, according to Paul, is being “conformed to the image of [the] Son.” Good is looking more like Jesus. Because in Jesus, goodness abounds. Good is trusting that God works for our good according to His plan and purpose. Good is being forgiven and having peace with God—even in our valleys. Good is being in community and looking to God for a restored soul.

The crazy thing about God’s goodness is that it’s often forged through pain and valleys and dark nights. There’s no question that darkness was a part of Jesus’ story. From the ridicule He faced, to the beatings He endured, to the horrific death He experienced on the cross, Jesus went through darkness to bring us the goodness of salvation. And if I am going to follow Christ and be conformed to Him, then through the valley I will go, trusting Him.

As my family and I have trudged through my son’s chronic illness journey, I’ve held on to something a friend of mine said: “God is forming your son to look more like Him.” I’ve wrestled with this as I watch my son walk through some very hard things. As he has taken needle after needle. As he has seen countless doctors and nurses. As he’s answered questions, undergone scans and tests, changed his diet, and experienced the pain that comes with Crohn’s disease.

I want to take his pain. I want to keep him from the struggle. But I am coming to a place where I can say: If he looks more like Jesus because of this, then so be it. If he’s being refined to trust God through his disease, to seek Him for strength, to grow closer to Him with every setback, then to God be the glory. And that is good. And the same work is being done in me.

May we bear the hard places, the training ground, the valleys with a Kingdom perspective and find our peace and contentment there. To wear goodness like Jesus is one of the best gifts of grace God could give us.

GRACE REFLECTION: What does goodness look like in your life? From your list, what lines up with God’s heart and what does not? Talk to God about that.