God’s Goodness in Everything: Can You Find It?

Why is it that our attitude can be changed by song or that we can be comforted by a nostalgic movie from our childhood? The emotion of a few brushstrokes has moved me; I’ve been mesmerized during both worship and secular songs; as a mom, I’ve been brought to tears by a sleeping babe. This is God’s grace on display. We need to take the time to notice the good, truth, and beauty all around us, even in popular culture.

The beauty of our world and our experiences is that they are all done in light of our Father, whether mankind recognizes it or not. Creation and our own creations burst with God’s character and purpose. We are made in His image, which allows us to create wonder, just like He did in Genesis and continues to do today.

To live in today’s culture well, we must discern everything presented to us. As St. Augustine is recorded saying, “All truth is God’s truth.” The mindset that no snippet of good will come from something labeled “evil” or “bad” is a disservice to ourselves. However, this does NOT mean that we are allowed to watch or participate in everything. It means that we seek out God’s goodness in everything.

As we connect goodness, beauty, and grace to God, we resist being lulled into believing something false from just a few good things. The enemy will distort anything he can, so it’s important to wisely consider the influence he has played in the content; his handiwork will be appealing until you’ve trained yourself to recognize God’s beauty versus the enemy’s enticement. We always have to be on the lookout for where desire is directed. When something shows rightly oriented desire, we can show how that’s reflected in God’s goodness.

If you’re ever unsure how to engage with people who partake in all aspects of popular culture, try connecting with them on things you agree with to lead toward the truth of Christ. We should always affirm what is good and true because it could be the starting point for a conversation with others about what they hold dear.

Today’s Challenge: Recognize when you see something beautiful or good and thank God for it. See if you can find God’s truth in a piece of popular culture: an honest lyric, an encouraging statement from a sitcom character, or justice played out in a book plot.