Good people are gifts. In life people want good things; they pray that people should come their way and be good to them; but how many persons are actually good in the sense of goodness?

In life people define you:
• By their opinion, which they formed based on “hear say.”
• By their suspicion.
• By the instigation of others.
• By your background.
• By your religion.
• By your profession.
• By your physique.
• By few minutes of encounter based on the mood they witnessed. Sometimes a good person might be considered bad not because they are actually bad.
What Is Goodness?
Goodness is defined by Miriam Webster as the quality or state of being good. When people try to be good for selfish reason that may not be considered truly as goodness. The Greek word ‘agathosune’ (a-ga-tho-soo-nay) is the English word ‘goodness’ meaning “an uprightness of heart and life, goodness, kindness.” It is from here that you get the female name Agatha.

The challenge of being good
• People may likely take you for granted.
• People may likely consider you a weakling.
• People may take advantage of you.
• You may be hurt from time to time.
• You may be emotionally depressed.

Theologian James Bryan Smith defines goodness as “that which works for the benefit or betterment of another. That which is good makes us better, heals us, restores us, improves us, strengthens us and makes us right…” Because God is good, He will always act in alignment with His character. That means, God will always act with goodness in ways that make us better, strengthen us, heal us and restore us.

Created For Goodness
We are created in God’s image, and for His goodness, in being and doing good we reflect godliness and goodness. Being created in the image of God means that people have intrinsic value, worth and free will. Man, originally was created to care for God’s good world. He has the ultimate responsibility of looking after God’s creation through care, tend, replenishing and multiplication (Genesis 1:26-28). At redemption the ultimate bridge was built with the capacity to grow Christlikeness in the fallen man through goodness. Becoming more and more like Jesus means to display godly attributes such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

To be a true human being is to become loving, joyful, peaceful and kind, redemptive grace enables us to behave in ways that are loving, joyful, peaceful and kind, through which we reflect God’s goodness to a dark and depraved world. Ephesians 2:10 expounds that people are created to do good and their good works reflect God’s goodness to a broken world.

Living selflessly enables others to enjoy goodness; share in God’s goodness and help them overcome situations that might be holding them down.
Know this
• Goodness helps us to choose forgiveness and restoration over bitterness and resentment,
• Goodness helps to build others up instead of tearing others down.
• Goodness helps to tell the truth, instead of spreading gossip or lies.
• Goodness helps us to stand up for people on the margins of life.

The above conveys God’s goodness.
Reflect and recognise God’s goodness
Responding to an inhuman world full of bitterness, acrimony, tribalism, nepotism, secularisation and moral decay can be very challenging and demanding. It will require certain level of discipline to recognise God’s goodness, around us to be able to reflect same to the world around us.

Permit me to say that our world is broken and dark, sour and sick; and needs restoration and healing. Not being good adds to the pain of the universe. When you reflect and recognise God’s goodness it propels your action towards building an environment devoid of certain factors that promotes a bitter society. God intentionally permits and positions us with certain values and virtues to make a better world, especially for the denied. Life does not afford its possession equally; if you ask me; there can never be a society where everyone and everything is equal; the strong are privileged to bear and compliment the weak.

We must desire to see our world better. When we see a disoriented system and have the skill; we must see it as a task assigned to us by God. When life exposes us to certain challenging circumstances it is availed that we might use our goodness to make right the wrong and heal the hurt. We must crave for rightness, especially when we have the power to make the wrong right. Today, look around you and do something good and make something right. God bless you.

What the Bible says about goodness
Matthew 5:16, In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Luke 6:35, But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Romans 12:21, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Ephesians 2:10, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Galatians 6:9–10, And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
1 Timothy 6:17–19, As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
• The Venerable Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector, Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Titus 2:11–14, For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
• The Venerable Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector, Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)