My one word for 2015: goodness. What flippant thoughts come to mind when you think of the word goodness? Goodness gracious. My goodness. One idiom that’s overused is “thank goodness”, but what are we actually saying when we speak this gratitude greeting? Is it that God is good? Or the situation is good? Or the person is good? Or the thing is good?
My one word – GOODNESS
According to the dictionary the word goodness means virtue, kindness and generosity. Social media presents numerous stories of people performing random acts of kindness to websites dedicated to spreading the phenomena. Paying for groceries for a family or buying a meal for a homeless person is something anyone who has resources can do. But everyone can share a smile or a kind word.
“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go.” (Rachel Joy Scott, killed at Columbine High School in 1999)
There’s more.
That’s what I want to explore in the coming months.
Looking at Galatians 5:22 list of the fruit of the Spirit, we see that ‘goodness’ is listed. Many versions of the Bible list kindness as one fruit and goodness as another fruit. You can participate in acts of kindness without growing in the fruit of goodness which should be evident in the lives of Christ followers.
Fruit grows when the conditions are right. And right living by the direction of the Spirit will ensure the sweetness of the fruit.
The focus of the one word coincides with the Scripture where we are asked to write the vision and keep it in front of us. When we see it before our eyes we are reminded of expectations for a new way of living. Living with purpose to see growth personally and to spread the goodness to others should be my goal.
My New Year’s Facebook greeting has a simple message:
Look for goodness in 2015.
The judgment goodness of God leads to repentance.
A blessed life reveals the goodness of God.
Many believe God is good even in tough circumstances. The more goodness we experience the more we want to live better and help others live better.
It’s a challenge to see the goodness in the midst of sickness and disease, tragedies and chaos. So many may never see it if the mind is negatively wired.
We can’t help but see the bad news on a daily basis, but we must make conscious effort to see goodness everywhere.
It’s there.
“Oh, how great is your goodness to those who publicly declare that you will rescue them. For you have stored up great blessings for those who trust and reverence you.” Psalm 31:19 TLB
Look for the goodness inside of you, and live for God’s purposes.
Next time you express gratitude using the word “thank goodness”, you can experience happiness while thinking of ways to show compassion and kindness towards others.
Lord, help me to grow in the fruit of goodness where I can touch the lives of others to bring joy to dark places. And help me find creative ways to be generous and share kindness and strength to others along the way.
That is the perfect word for you, Pirkko! And I love your thoughts here about its meaning.
So often we can’t seem to see anything good when life throws out lemons, but we cannot live in the pity party forever. Thanks Kassandra it’s a good word to remember.
Such a good word for a year when so many are wondering if there IS any goodness left, with all the terrible things happening around the world… we know that we serve a Holy God who desires to show us the very true meaning of “Goodness” in a whay only He can, even when the enemy would love us to focus on the bad.
Great and encouraging post!
True…our thoughts direct our path in the midst of tough circumstances, whether personally or in the world. Seeking the goodness of God is going to be a challenge when things are not going well, and that takes faith in trusting Him. If we establish the fact that God is good then it’s half the battle.
What a great word for the year! And what a great reminder to carefully examine the meaning of this overused – and under-comprehended – word. Blessings, my friend!
Thanks Stephanie. Yes, I know it’s going to be a challenge but a good reminder will help me focus better. Looking for the goodness of God in the land of the living while trusting that God is good even when surrounded by bad stuff in the world.