Casandra Martin

I want to believe that people are good. I really do. I see it in most people. Well, some people. Actually, if the truth be told, I don’t even see it when I look in the mirror. Maybe, especially when I look in the mirror.

When our masks are peeled back, our hearts reveal their true stories. Mine is outlined with selfishness, marked with misplaced motives, and splattered with pride. Worry writes its whispers into its folds. Guilt smudges the remnants of beauty. Sin extinguishes the light, washing me in darkness, propelling me to stand ashamed  that good has been replaced by greed.

“[A]s it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’” – Romans 3:10-12.

Discouraging and disheartening, if that were the final page of our stories. But God is an Author who loves rewrites. Editing is His most passionate gift. He doesn’t deny that we are spoiled fruit, damaged goods, and broken shards. Instead, He gently gathers up the ruined pieces of my heart and commits Himself to infusing His goodness into me. He mends, binds, erases, rewrites, and transforms. Light is ignited by His presence. Joy is kindled by His power. Peace finds its spark in His purpose.

My Jesus Resolution today is look for the Good. The hope of His goodness is everywhere. The promise of His goodness permeates our world. Every person has the potential to be transformed by and for Goodness. Any good I see is a gift from Him. The goodness that I can find in others, perhaps even myself, is a faithful promise, a whisper of hope that love really does conquer all.