What Does It Mean to Be Good?
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…”
Romans 8:28
This weekend I was fortunate enough to hear Megan Marshman speak at Willow Creek Church on “Peace in Place of Anxiety”. This message spoke out to me for many different reasons. One because I think it is safe to say we have all experienced anxiety in some form or fashion. Some maybe more severe than others.
However, the thing that stood out the most to me was when she dove into the verse above. In this verse, it mentions how God works for the GOOD of us. I have never doubted that God has good intentions for us all, but I think it is also safe to say that many times we have questioned the “goodness” in some of the things that have happened in our lives. Many times you may have questioned “why God…”. Now this could be in regards to a job you lost, a relationship that was destroyed, etc. The question then becomes well if God is working for the GOOD of ME then well why God did I lose my job or why God did this relationship end? Where is the “good” in that?
She then proceeded to speak on what does "good" really mean? If you google the word “good”, one of the definitions that arises is “to be desired or approved of”. Think about that for a minute. To be desired or approved of by who? Well that would be you or me. If our definition of good is to be desired or approved of by ourselves well then where does God fit in in all of this?
The point I am trying to get at is that God’s definition of "good" is not the same definition that we have. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. God does indeed have a plan for us all and unfortunately this means that sometimes the things WE see as “good” do not fit into the “goodness” of HIS plan for you or me. All in all, some of the things we consider bad that happen to us are actually "good" in terms of leading us onto the path God has laid out for our lives.
Lord, help us to see good in terms of your eyes. Help us to understand that you do have a plan for us all and even though we may not know what that plan is, we can trust you.
Amen, Brooke
