Are You Good?

Mark 10:18-19--“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

Our life here as humans is not about figuring out how to be “good.”  That is an impossible task because only God is good.  In this passage, Jesus recognizes that the man talking to Him sees His Divinity—the man could not label Jesus “good” unless He recognized Jesus as God Himself.  For us, though, even when we know and keep God’s commandments we are still incapable of being “good.”  Does that seem disheartening?  To me, it is a wonderfully freeing concept to think that I am loved even though I am not good.  What Jesus is really saying here is that life is not about labeling right and wrong, good and bad.  These labels tend to interfere with our ability to be compassionate and empathetic with ourselves and others.  Demanding goodness of ourselves and others is an impossible burden that leaves us wanting, feeling like failures, and riddled with disappointment.  When we move past the label of “being good,” when we truly know that merely keeping the commandments is not enough, then we are positioned to live compassionately, invested in love for God’s whole creation.  That is when our hearts open to the work of the Holy Spirit.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, praise God for loving you for you, free from labels.  Rejoice that He has freed you from the shackles of having to be good.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would fill you with God’s goodness and lead you to live compassionately toward others.  Ask God to free your mind from the labels we so naturally want to place on others – pray for God’s eyes that you may see others as He does, as pure individuals in need of love and kindness.