For Goodness Sake
The phrase ‘for goodness sake’ was originally used to mean for the sake of everything good or pure or decent or honest. It has since become an exclamation, expressing feelings of frustration or despair.
Let’s talk about “goodness” and how we can choose daily the path of goodness over the path of despair. All of us have opportunities to think about and talk about the gloom, despair, and agonies in our lives.
We can dwell on those things that have absolutely no day-brighteners in them. Sure, we can go there. But when we go THERE – we are NOT placing our trust in our God Who knows all, holds all, and His sovereignty is above all.
In the dictionary “despair” means “the complete loss or absence of hope.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned these words: “And in despair I bowed my head; ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said; ‘For hate is strong, and mocks the song of “Peace on earth, good-will to men!” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor does He sleep! The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Every day, we face a myriad of temptations to give up and choose despair over goodness. We can dwell on what we don’t have rather than what we do have. We can surrender to entertaining our minds with negative thinking, negative news-watching and negative friendships. Very little “goodness” is found when we live there.
We find what Shepherd David’s tactical warfare plan against despair was all about. In Psalm 23, he declared: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”
Did he really live in the house of the Lord – hanging out at the altar because he was afraid to face combat? No. He was on the battlefield. He was chased by his enemies. He could have been in constant despair. But he chose to live in the house of the Lord in his heart and mind. David knew where the enemy was and destroyed him on sight because of where his thoughts were.
When goodness is our banner, despair will run in terror. “If there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
2024 will surely bring much more despair-talk. Let’s get our seatbelts on now. It is sure to be a wild ride “he said; she said” and “he did; she did”. We’ll need lots of goodness going on in our inner man to cope with the rancor that has already started.
It will be easy to despair. We already have mockers and scoffers when it comes to the things of God. Psalm 1:1-2 says, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night.”
No fear here! For goodness sake — we must keep doing everything we can do to stand for what Jesus called “for righteousness’ sake” (Matthew 5:10). We must never despair, because God is on His heavenly throne and we are choosing to live in His house with Him forever.