The Goodness Factor
Just the other day, I was sitting on a mall bench waiting - checking messages on my cell phone - when a paraplegic in a wheel chair came up to me with his assistant close by and said to me. “God is good.”
That was about all he could say. I agreed whole heartedly. “God is good.”
We smiled…. He radiated the goodness. I could tell that he understood it, lived it and would die by it. It was his guiding hope through his darkness.
And it can get very dark!
How can both of us – such tragic figures – agree on something so absurd?
But we did.
In the end, the question of God – isn’t really so much about God’s role in the universe but what is his goodness all about.
Goodness is much harder to understand than God.
Recently we attended that classic production of “It’s a wonderful life” at the Manitoba Theatre Centre. It was based on the classical movie of the life of George Bailey who has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all - and it's Christmas! As the angels discuss Bailey, we see his life in flashbacks. His guardian angel, Clarence, shows Bailey what his town would have looked like if he hadn’t lived.
In his past, Bailey has saved his brother from a drowning incident, saved a pharmacist from poisoning a sick child, sacrificed his career for his younger brother – and the list goes on.
Bailey is simply a good soul. He uses his imagination for goodness. He can see what needs to happen for the good of his town and sacrifices himself to do it. At first it looks like a wasted life, but goodness is never an empty investment.
The best part of the drama is when Bailey, at the end of his tether, experiences his goodness coming back to save him. The money that has been lost just comes pouring in – enough to save him from going to prison. And the angel takes care of making sure that justice happens.
It is the mystery of goodness.
It is always a miracle.
It is the image of God.
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth, (goodness) and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
That was about all he could say. I agreed whole heartedly. “God is good.”
We smiled…. He radiated the goodness. I could tell that he understood it, lived it and would die by it. It was his guiding hope through his darkness.
And it can get very dark!
How can both of us – such tragic figures – agree on something so absurd?
But we did.
In the end, the question of God – isn’t really so much about God’s role in the universe but what is his goodness all about.
Goodness is much harder to understand than God.
Recently we attended that classic production of “It’s a wonderful life” at the Manitoba Theatre Centre. It was based on the classical movie of the life of George Bailey who has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all - and it's Christmas! As the angels discuss Bailey, we see his life in flashbacks. His guardian angel, Clarence, shows Bailey what his town would have looked like if he hadn’t lived.
In his past, Bailey has saved his brother from a drowning incident, saved a pharmacist from poisoning a sick child, sacrificed his career for his younger brother – and the list goes on.
Bailey is simply a good soul. He uses his imagination for goodness. He can see what needs to happen for the good of his town and sacrifices himself to do it. At first it looks like a wasted life, but goodness is never an empty investment.
The best part of the drama is when Bailey, at the end of his tether, experiences his goodness coming back to save him. The money that has been lost just comes pouring in – enough to save him from going to prison. And the angel takes care of making sure that justice happens.
It is the mystery of goodness.
It is always a miracle.
It is the image of God.
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth, (goodness) and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
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