Goodness! Gracious!

My regular turkey and cheese sandwich goes to the next level with a little honey mustard. It goes from being average to really good. I don’t take a bite and think, “Wow, what great honey mustard! No, I take a bite and think, “That’s a good turkey and cheese sandwich!” The honey mustard is there in the background, making everything better without stealing the glory from the main ingredients. Why? Because it’s good.

Goodness in someone is a little like honey mustard.  It makes life better without demanding attention. Discerning people will notice it and may even point it out. But the purpose of goodness is not to be praised by others, but to help others.

Doing good is simply helping someone. It requires awareness of those around us, caring about their needs as much or more than our own. Caring means demonstrating it.  When we see an opportunity, we should take it when it’s in our power to help. It can be as simple as holding a door open for a stranger, assisting at work when it’s not required, offering a ride to someone, or sharing a meal.

I did that with a friend in my community. Her husband passed a couple of weeks ago. She called to thank me for the white bean chili I made for her after he passed. Then she expressed how perplexed she was about things she had to do. I went to her to help calm her down and bring peace into her world. After I went to get some lunch for her, I saw the change in her demeanor. Calmness consumed her. My intention here is to impress upon us to simply let goodness flow out of us to others.

Another example of goodness was this post in our Everleigh FB Group:

“Dear Friends:  If you ever need help in your apartment and don’t know who to call…hanging a picture, moving boxes or furniture, organizing a storage closet, changing a light bulb, and so forth…send me a text. I have lots of time and don’t want any money. It’s my way of saying, Thank You, to all of you for your kindness and friendship since I moved into Everleigh three months ago.”

True goodness exists for the benefit of others. Many authentic acts of goodness go unnoticed by everyone except those on the receiving end. That’s okay. Whether one person or a million see it doesn’t matter. The point is not the praise we receive from others because of our goodness. The point is that goodness shapes us into a better person.

If we’re good to someone else, they are more inclined to be good as well. Lighting the fire of goodness inspires more warmth and light. It also wins people over to our side. True good deeds are like seeds, growing into a garden of friendships.

Much of goodness is treating others the way we want to be treated.  We position ourselves to receive better treatment from others. We may even influence others to be kind, cultivating an atmosphere of goodness.

Goodness comes when we focus on others. We pursue it.  The good things we do are not just doing good but being good.  It starts by simply asking ourselves what we can do to help that person next to us, doing it, and looking for the next opportunity.

There are so many opportunities around us for doing good.  They are there, waiting for us to take advantage of them. We do some good and before long, we will be good.

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people….” (Galatians 6:10)