ARE YOU AND I GOOD ENOUGH?

I do not think that anyone sets out in life saying, “I want to be bad”.  If we had an insight into the lives of people, and our own, we would understand the reasons for their, and our, “bad” behaviour. We want to be good. Good at something, have good relationships, be known as a good person, but somehow, we never fully achieve this.

But what does being good mean? Does It mean that all of life depends on me and my behaviour?  If I am good, then good things will happen to me, if I am bad, then bad things will happen to me? Does it mean that happiness, meaning and purpose all depend on my ability to make it happen. If I behave correctly, keep all the commandments, deny myself, give away my goods to the poor…. need to try harder, but the more I try the more I find myself failing, the more guilt I carry….we can never be good enough. This is what the saints of the past realised. Isaiah, one of the greatest prophets, said this when God appeared to him in a vision... ”Woe to me ! I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’” (Isaiah 6:5 NIV)

There are essentially two philosophies of life; One, I must be good enough to earn God’s approval…………….and,                                   

Two, God loves me unconditionally and when I realise this, my aim in life is to do good in every way. God’s unconditional love towards us is called Grace

“The Lord appeared to us in the past saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.’” (Jeremiah 31: 3 NIV) and this includes every person because Jesus taught us… “For God so loved the world (all of us)!”

But, what does living by the grace of God  mean?  It means that I am already loved, already accepted, already precious in the sight of God. Dame Julian of Norwich said  this, “All is well and all manner of things are well because we are moving to a rendezvous with Love.”   Take some time to consider this and how this knowledge can enrich your life.

Our good deeds flow out of a realization that we have encountered the greatest love, and out of this insight, our thoughts, behaviour, decisions, motives and aims, can positively flow. As we strive to keep living in the light of that Divine Love through prayer, meditation, worship and seeking His presence in the everyday world, we will find that we are free to love, and to be loved.

                     It is actually, not how good we are, it is how well we love!