Why "God is good" isn't good enough
Last night I was talking with a friend about the goodness of God. These days, it's almost cliché to say, "God is good."
Declaring God's goodness is powerful, if we mean it. But sometimes we're just going through the motions of a worship song or making it a tag line after listing all the things that are wrong ("...and I got cut short a shift this week so I don't know how I'm supposed to pay the bills and eggs are costing so much these days I don't even know how we're going to eat and my knees are hurting again and I'll probably have to have surgery, but God's good, so...).
It makes him sound like a monster. No, seriously - if our friend talked this way about a boyfriend or girlfriend, we'd tell them to run:
"Yeah, we get along great. I mean, sometimes he smacks me around and makes me sick, and still expects me to love him, but it's ok. He's really a good guy." "You know, sometimes she takes my money, but it's just so I'll pay more attention to her. She's good to me."
So is God good, or is he a sadomasochist? We can't have it both ways.
Eventually, we have to wrestle with our ideas and past experiences until we reach a healthy relationship with our Father. Once we realize we're dealing with Satan as well as God, we can start figuring out who's doing what.
But God doesn't want to stop there. He isn't satisfied with a "healthy relationship." He wants to move us beyond a mere academic understanding of his character.
He wants to BE good to us.
As my friend and I chatted, we started to understand. She used to be depressed, but now is full of joy and life. I'm almost jealous of the simplicity of her trust in God.
Sometimes she gets down on herself, thinking she's too simple, dancing through the daisies while serious stuff is going down all around her.
But that's the point. When God set her free, he didn't just bring her back to an even keel. In his goodness, he went overboard, lavishing joy upon her.
No one looking at her now would ever imagine she's been depressed. Her joy draws other people to her. That's the goodness of God.
Do you need that kind of goodness in your life? Where do you need him to go over the top for you?
Know this - if you are sick, God doesn't just want to heal that sickness - he wants to overwhelm you with vibrant life until it exudes out of you to others. If you are broken-hearted, your Father isn't just going to bandage your wounds. He's planning such incredible restoration that others will be healed just by hearing your testimony.
God isn't just good - he is goodness itself, and he wants to make your life a demonstration of it. Why don't you ask him today how he wants to start?
Declaring God's goodness is powerful, if we mean it. But sometimes we're just going through the motions of a worship song or making it a tag line after listing all the things that are wrong ("...and I got cut short a shift this week so I don't know how I'm supposed to pay the bills and eggs are costing so much these days I don't even know how we're going to eat and my knees are hurting again and I'll probably have to have surgery, but God's good, so...).
It makes him sound like a monster. No, seriously - if our friend talked this way about a boyfriend or girlfriend, we'd tell them to run:
"Yeah, we get along great. I mean, sometimes he smacks me around and makes me sick, and still expects me to love him, but it's ok. He's really a good guy." "You know, sometimes she takes my money, but it's just so I'll pay more attention to her. She's good to me."
So is God good, or is he a sadomasochist? We can't have it both ways.
Eventually, we have to wrestle with our ideas and past experiences until we reach a healthy relationship with our Father. Once we realize we're dealing with Satan as well as God, we can start figuring out who's doing what.
But God doesn't want to stop there. He isn't satisfied with a "healthy relationship." He wants to move us beyond a mere academic understanding of his character.
He wants to BE good to us.
As my friend and I chatted, we started to understand. She used to be depressed, but now is full of joy and life. I'm almost jealous of the simplicity of her trust in God.
Sometimes she gets down on herself, thinking she's too simple, dancing through the daisies while serious stuff is going down all around her.
But that's the point. When God set her free, he didn't just bring her back to an even keel. In his goodness, he went overboard, lavishing joy upon her.
No one looking at her now would ever imagine she's been depressed. Her joy draws other people to her. That's the goodness of God.
Do you need that kind of goodness in your life? Where do you need him to go over the top for you?
Know this - if you are sick, God doesn't just want to heal that sickness - he wants to overwhelm you with vibrant life until it exudes out of you to others. If you are broken-hearted, your Father isn't just going to bandage your wounds. He's planning such incredible restoration that others will be healed just by hearing your testimony.
God isn't just good - he is goodness itself, and he wants to make your life a demonstration of it. Why don't you ask him today how he wants to start?
THIS! Thank You for bringing this to light because this is how people figure God's goodness is like when that is not even close. You're awesome!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and commenting, Bridgett. I know you've had your own experiences with the goodness of God in the midst of difficulty. I'm excited for the good he is planning for all of us!
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