Goodness is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the quality or state of being good.” As I ponder the spiritual fruit of goodness as one of the fruits of the Spirit we’ve been discussing here at Choose, I can’t help but first think about the goodness of God.
God is good, there is nothing evil in Him. He is filled with perfect love, unending grace, and measureless mercy. It’s hard to comprehend the depth of how good He really is.
The circumstances around us may not feel good, but there is incredible peace and hope found when we sit in the simple truth that no matter what, God’s goodness is forever.
And we get to be vessels of that goodness. We get to ooze His goodness people we come in contact with.
When I think about that, I can’t help but reminisce about some amazing women in my life who have oozed goodness, women I desire to emulate.
I think of Aunt Margaret who always had a smile and a hug for everyone she met. No one was a stranger, and you knew she would do absolutely anything for you at any time. She was full of passion for her faith and loved life. She was good and made you feel good from the inside out.
There there’s Hazel, aka Mama Bear, my friend from Nashville who I always say loved two things in life, Jesus and Papa Bear (her husband). She was so, so good and kind and gracious and full of the unconditional, life-changing love of Jesus. It simply oozed out of her. She talked about Jesus all the time, and you knew He was her constant companion and best friend. I always left my time with her with a smile on my face and joy in my heart.
And thirdly I think of my friend’s sweet mother, Helen. Helen loved the Lord and had a gentleness about her that you knew was fueled by a deep faith and the goodness of God that dwelled in her Spirit. She had a heart that lived to serve, and she made me feel incredibly special and loved every time I was with her.
These are the kind of people the Apostle Paul was talking about in Romans:
“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.”
Romans 15:14
These beautiful women taught me about goodness simply by the way they lived their lives and the way they interacted with me. They oozed goodness.
And now my mission is to pay it forward, to demonstrate goodness to others.
Paul reminds us that we are “full of goodness,” so goodness is not something we have to manufacture on our own. We are made in the image of God, so His goodness is there in us. It’s our job to nurture it by spending time in His Word, growing in our faith and choosing to stay connected to Him. The more we know the goodness of God at a deeper and deeper level, the more we find His goodness oozing out of us naturally.
I’m definitely a work in progress and always will be; but it’s all about progress rather than perfection, because Jesus is the only one who did it perfectly.
But I hold the images of these amazing women and other people who have oozed goodness to me as beautiful reminders that, with God’s help, I can do the same!
Let’s all ooze some goodness today!
Hugs and love,
Jill