Thank Goodness

You're probably asking yourself what's up with the picture for today's post. Well not only does it touch on today's topic, but I think it's pretty hilarious: when I think of reggae, I don't immediately think of reggae from Finland...but to each their own, I guess.

I was telling my wife the other day that the topics of Kindness, Goodness, and Gentleness are probably the three most difficult for me to separate out of the Fruits of the Spirit because they seem to blend into one another and sometimes seem interchangeable; but here's my best crack at it. Growing up, I was a big comic book fan: I could read Captain America, The Punisher, and SpiderMan all day long, and anyone who's even thought about comic books knows the common theme in those stories: the battle between good and evil. And yes, doing the opposite of evil is the simplest definite of goodness. In fact, Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary says, "Goodness in man is not a mere passive quality, but the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good." What's interesting about that definition is its observation that goodness is a deliberate, persistent choice. Not only do we have to choose to do good, but we have to do it constantly. You only have to be alive for one day to know that we're constantly bombarded with the temptation to do evil, it's just our sinful nature at work.

In the book of Exodus, Moses asked the Lord to show him His Glory. "And the LORD said, 'I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.' " (Exodus 33:19). I just love how God refers to His Glory as His Goodness. In reference to this passage, the New JJohn Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible says, "the glory of the Lord lies in His goodness, and that appears in the works of his hands, in the methods of his providence, especially in the distribution of His sovereign grace and mercy, and particularly in His pardoning grace and mercy, through the blood of Christ." You see, God is the ultimate example of goodness, and we see it in the world He created, and even more so in His compassion for us through the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ, who came to die and offer forgiveness of our sins.

So what now? Psalm 116:12 says, "How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?" Let's look at Webster's definition of goodness, "The quality of being good in any of its various senses; excellence; virtue; kindness; benevolence; as, the goodness of timber, of a soil, of food; goodness of character, of disposition, of conduct, etc." So therefore, to repay the Lord for His goodness to us, we need to also be good. Goodness of character, disposition, and conduct will make us a well-rounded person that God can use for His glory as a witness to the lost: no one likes the crabby or rude Christian, or the Christian who is always getting into the wrong thing. We must also remember to be good to one another: be just, kind, and honest.

So you think I forgot to keep up the song titles theme, right? Wrong. "Thank Goodness" is actually a song from the Broadway show "Wicked" (which is a PHENOMINAL show, by the way). I chose it for this entry because this past Christmastime, Wicked was coming here to Charlotte and I reeeeally wanted to go. My wife tried to get me tickets when they went on sale, but all the shows sold out in a flash. So she, knowing we were travelling up to NY/CT for the holidays, bought me tickets for the actual Broadway version of the show. She really wanted to get me to see Wicked one way or another, so she did...and I had a blast...and I'll never forget it either. It was special to me that she went out of her way to do that. As mushy as it sounds, when I think of goodness I think of my wife: she's always displays goodness of character, disposition and conduct. She always thinks of others, and it's a trait I really admire in her: God has truly blessed me with an amazing wife. There are many people who practice goodness everyday deep down to their core for the glory of God: I'm sure we know at least one. Those are the types of people we should emulate. 2 Peter 1:3-5a says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness..."

Kindness for Weakness

I definitely admit that I had to use Google to find a song with "Kindness" in the title; and the search turned up this song by Dialated Peoples...now that's a group I haven't heard from in quite awhile.

Anyway, back on topic: What is kindness and how does it apply to each one of us? The Dictionary defines kindness as, "the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic; the tendency to be kind and forgiving." Now I'm sure everyone would love to be described as kind, and I'm also sure that most people like to think of themselves as pretty kind most of the time. But after reading that definition, do we necessarily fall into that category all the time? I know I sure don't. When you sit down and think about it, being kind is really easy when it doesn't take considerable effort from us; but when it takes thought, action, and patience. Here's a good example: it's real easy to give the loose change in your pocket to the Salvation Army guy ringing the bell in front WalMart during Christmastime...but what about when you know someone in church who, say, is out of a job and can't afford to fix their broken lawn mower and you own your own lawn care business? It's easy to say, "Well I normally get paid for this" and then blow it off completely, and it's also easy to think someone else is going to just come along and do it. We've all done it.

I think a lot of times Christians have completely the wrong idea of kindness: we alienate ourselves from the world around us; and in doing that, we alienate the people around us. We like to point out the flaws in others instead of helping them overcome those flaws, instead of loving them in spite of our differences. That kind of attitude makes the world resent us, but God wants us to act in a way that displays good character. Zechariah 7:9 says, "Thus has the LORD of hosts said, 'Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother.' " Compassion is difficult sometimes...it's habit to drive by the person on the side of the road with the flat tire or to ignore the homeless man asking you for money on the street. But as Christians we need to follow Christ's example and have a people-focused mentality. Jesus saw how people were hurting and He loved them, and we must do the same, whether those around us are Christian, athiest, Buddhist, Muslim, black, white, Asian, Hispanic...we must be compassionate. At the moment, I'm reading the Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., who is one of my favorite historical figures. In one of his most famous writings - Letter from a Birmingham Jail - is a stirring, eloquent call on church leaders to be more compassionate about people and social issues outside of the church. Dr. King definitely had the right idea: we have to be compassionate, we have to care.

On the other end of the spectrum, there's a growing trend in Christianity where people think kind deeds are all you need: don't go to church? Not a problem. Don't even own a Bible? Meh. Don't pray much? That's cool. All you gotta do is be loving and kind. You see how it's easy for a lot of people to buy into, right? Being nice to others makes you feel good...but it conveniently leaves out the hard work involved in being a Christian! Micah 6:8 says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" See, you have to practice kindness, be just, but you must also walk with the Lord and live by His commands: you can't just pick and choose what you want out of God...Christianity is not a cafeteria, it's all or nothing.

So let's get practical here: how do we practice kindness on a regular basis? I guess that depends on you: you can find a charity or two to support, or you can go through your closet and donate the clothes you don't ever wear to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army. You can also find volunteer/service opportunities through your local church, which can include - but aren't limited to - feeding the homeless, fixing cars for single moms, and visiting the sick. You can go on a missions trip or adopt an animal from a local shelter. You can buy lunch or some donuts for that crabby person at work. You can DEFINITELY smile a little more, say nice things to others, compliment your friends and co-workers, wave to your neighbors, wave to your local police officers (they like it, trust me). The possibilities are endless and range from the grand and expensive to the absolutely free...but they all achieve the same things: they allow us to do what God has commanded of us, but they also break down the barriers between Christians and the rest of the world. Everyone respects a kind deed, and if you're kind to others, they'll take notice. And what better way to reach lost souls for the Lord?