Goodness! or Good-ness

Some expressions of frustration or exasperation are worth investigating or analyzing for deeper meaning. This morning, I was pondering the meaning behind a phrase I sometimes use in exasperation: Goodness! This is often stated with frustration over a situation or toward another with both exasperation and questioning of a reckless or seemingly thoughtless action. It is stated by me in dissatisfaction for the inconveniences of life. It is not stated in gratitude at all for the pause these problems create, in fact it is stated as an antithetical to gratitude.

Grief is usually not “good” but painful. Yet it is good to grieve a loss in order to heal fully. It is both painful and healing. The same is true in which I might express to myself in frustration. The mental pause I take to spit out “Good grief, what are you thinking?” is often said to redirect my thoughts. I say this when I have forgotten something, made the third wrong turn on my journey to a new destination, forgot an important document to mail, or forgotten to pay bills. All routine for the most part, but when life is interrupted, there is difficulty to recall as quickly the routine.
These morning thoughts asked me to reconsider some Bible verses that include the word “goodness.”

The goodness of the Lord is proclaimed in several Psalms…this goodness is deep and rich. In a familiar Psalm, the 23rd, David reminds us: “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Now that “goodness” is a blessing. All the days of my life I am surrounded by God’s goodness in the people I meet and greet, in the sunrise, the trees, the birds and more.
Then Psalm 27: 13,14 – “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!  Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.”
 Ah yes, we do see the goodness of the Lord in life, but we must choose to see Him, and hear His voice.
Psalm 69:16 – “Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.”
And last Psalm 109:21 – “But you, Sovereign Lord, help me for your name’s sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.”

The Lord’s goodness follows us, is seen, and is active. It turns us to God and delivers us from trouble. Often, I have asked: where will you go that Jesus is not? And the answer is “nowhere” Where will I go that the Lord’s goodness is not already there? No-where.
This goodness is seen in small acts of kindness that multiply and have a “pay it forward” mentality. This goodness is seen in huge acts of generosity that do not make sense to us, but also in the confident living by faith when life becomes drudgery! We live our lives in service to those in our immediate circle of influence, but also reaching out to impact and inspire others along the journey.
This is the confidence the Psalms remind us of: we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever! Not today, not tomorrow, but assuredly, one day we will be in His presence, and we will see Him face-to-face! And at that moment we will understand the goodness of the Lord fully and completely.