Why Goodness is Your Key to a Fulfilled Life

Rediscovering Goodness

In a world obsessed with extremes—where everything must be either "awesome" or "awful"—is there still room for something that's simply "good"?

The Devalued Word

"Good has perhaps become a rather non-committal word," Will observed. "It's a word we sometimes use when we haven't got a whole lot to say about something... How was the film? Good. How are you today? Good. What are the chances of sun tomorrow? Good."

Will pointed out how our culture now tends to live at the extremes. Everything must be "awesome" or "amazing" (as brilliantly parodied in The Lego Movie's "Everything Is Awesome" song), or alternatively, "disastrous" or "the worst ever." This tendency to dial everything up to 11 is exhausting.

"It's exhausting living in the extremes," Will reflected, "or more accurately, feeling the pressure that everything should be at the extreme. That everything should be felt or experienced intensely. That if something is just okay, or even good, it's falling far short of what it could or should be."

During Conversation Street, Jan noted how this tendency affects our vocabulary: "I think we've like many words, we've—society—we've ruined them... We need to almost re-sanctify that word. If we really understood what it really meant, we wouldn't use it as often as we do."

The Quiet Power of Goodness

Against this backdrop of extremes, Will painted goodness as something wonderfully different—stable, reliable, and authentic.

"I absolutely love the concept of goodness, maybe in part because it is so underrated," Will shared. "It shreds the solid, stable ground of consistency in a world of fragile extremes. It quietly offers reassurance of going the distance in a fickle, emotional world."

Will used an agricultural metaphor to illustrate true goodness: "The goodness or richness of thick, dark soil, compared with a dusty, dry field of no substance... Goodness can't be rushed or forced. Goodness infuses a crop over a long period of time."

This image of goodness—something that develops slowly, methodically, and with real substance—stands in stark contrast to our culture's demand for instant gratification and quickly manufactured experiences.

The Foundation of True Goodness

As Will dug deeper into what goodness really is, he made an important distinction: goodness isn't just about good behaviour, but about the state of one's heart.

"We undersell it if we only think in terms of a habit. Like the command to a child, 'Be good for Grandma,'" Will explained. "In fact, the whole book of Galatians, where this passage about the fruits of the Spirit comes, is about being set free in God by grace, instead of just towing the line to meet God's and everyone else's expectations."

True goodness isn't something we can fake or manufacture through effort—it's a deeply rooted quality that flows from a transformed heart.

"My prison sentence might be shortened for good behavior, but it doesn't necessarily give confidence to the state of my heart," Will noted. "My dog can learn and mimic a certain level of expected behaviour, if there's an edible reward at stake. But he and I both know, I think, that it's a sham."

This distinction between authentic goodness and learned behavior highlights why goodness must be a fruit of the Spirit rather than just another self-improvement project.

God's Goodness Throughout Scripture

The cornerstone of Will's message was that God Himself is the definition of goodness. Throughout the Bible, God's goodness is described not as something He does, but as something He is.

Will walked us through numerous scriptural references to God's goodness:

• In Psalm 100:5: "God is good and his love endures forever."

• In Genesis 1:31: "God saw that all that he'd made was good."

• In Numbers 14:7: The Promised Land was described as "exceedingly good."

• In Nehemiah 9:20: God "gave your good spirit."

• In Matthew 4:23: Jesus proclaimed "the good news."

• In Acts 10:38: Jesus "went around doing good."

• In Romans 8:28: "God works all things for good."

• In James 1:17: "Every good and perfect gift" comes from God.

During Conversation Street, Matt highlighted an important idea: "When God says He is good, He is determining, He is the very definition of that. So what is good? God is good... That puts a very different slant on it."

This realisation challenges us to reconsider how we use the word "good." As Christians often say, "God is good" even in difficult circumstances—not because they're being delusional, but because they understand that God's goodness isn't dependent on our circumstances.

As Jan explained, "In spite of what is going on all around me, I know that God is unchangeable and unmoving, and God is always good. Just because something bad's happening, it doesn't mean God's any different."

The Good Shepherd

Will concluded his talk by examining Jesus' description of Himself as the "Good Shepherd" in John 10:11-15:

"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and my sheep know me. Just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep."

What makes Jesus the Good Shepherd? His motivation comes from genuine care rather than obligation or self-interest. His goodness is proved through consistent, sacrificial love—not fleeting bursts of excitement or sentiment.

"The Good Shepherd even goes so far as laying down his life for the sheep," Will observed, "just what Jesus then went on to do."

This kind of goodness—reliable, consistent, and genuinely caring—is what our hearts long for. "I think deep down we want to be cared for like this with a constancy that doesn't waver with our stupidity or our wandering," Will reflected.

Will's Story of God's Goodness

To illustrate God's goodness in everyday life, Will shared the story of how he and his wife found their home. After four years of searching, they came across a house with potential but numerous problems—a crack down the front, flooding in the garden, broken stairs, a sitting tenant, and at one point, even squatters.

When they received a 50-page survey report that began with "use extreme caution in buying this house," most people would have walked away. But Will and his wife felt God telling them this was their home.

"All that big work turned out actually cheaper than it possibly could have been, and less than we'd budgeted for," Will shared. "When does that ever happen?"

Throughout the entire 18-month process, they kept trusting in God's goodness despite the obstacles. Will concluded, "That's just one example of where you can go... if you choose to put your trust in God, you can begin to taste some of his goodness."

Your Next Step

As we continue our "Becoming Whole" series, here are some ways to apply the lessons about goodness to your life:

1. Reconsider your vocabulary : Challenge yourself to be more thoughtful about how you use words like "good," "awesome," and "amazing." Save the strongest words for truly extraordinary things.

2. Look for God's goodness : Even in difficult circumstances, try to identify ways that God's goodness is present. As Jan mentioned during Conversation Street, "Even though circumstances are often very difficult and life is difficult, it doesn't change who God is."

3. Practice consistent goodness : Rather than aiming for occasional spectacular acts, focus on developing a steady character of goodness that shows up in ordinary moments.

4. Trust God's definition of good : Remember that God's understanding of what's good might be different from yours, but His definition is the one that ultimately matters.

Join us next week as Sharon Edmundson continues our "Becoming Whole" series with a look at another essential fruit of the Spirit on our journey toward wholeness.

"God is good. Goodness is not flash, it's not fleeting, it's solid. And if we've set our lives to follow Jesus, that goodness will also be at work in our lives. So enjoy it and share it." — Will Sopwith