Goodbye Hiding, Hello Freedom by Morgan KruegerSample

PART 3: FREEDOM IN YOUR VIEW OF GOD

Following along in my journey, after conversations with Ryan and Dottie, I started to find more freedom than I ever thought possible. This spurred me on to want more and more of an understanding of how to view God and how He viewed me. We must have a clear view of God (and maybe more importantly, how God views us!) in order to start to let Him into our lives to love us, care for us, and redeem us as his daughters.

In his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer clearly explains these qualities, or “attributes” of God as things about God that are not only true, but are also one’s that we can know because He has revealed them to us:

"If an attribute is something true of God, it is also something that we can conceive as being true of Him. God, being infinite, must possess attributes about which we can know. An attribute, as we can know it, is a mental concept, an intellectual response to God’s self-revelation.”

There are so many attributes I could choose, but for the sake of time and space, I am going to choose just one - God's Goodness.

If I’m being honest, I almost veered away from this attribute of God because something about it at first glimpse seems oddly underwhelming. In today’s age, the concept of “good” has lost a bit of the wonder and meaning that it deserves.

But this core intrinsic attribute of God is absolutely crucial to seeing Him as not just God, but as the Father that He is.

Psalm 25:8 proclaims, “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.”

I remember growing up I had a love for chocolate chip cookies. When I thought of what was good, my mind went straight to that soft baked chips ahoy peel back cookie box. In those days, it was a constant battle between my dad and I at the end of dinner on how many cookies I was allowed to have. I would scream, cry, and one night, in a moment of complete cookie desperation I yelled out in front of my whole family, “Don’t you love me?”

Years later, I understand now what my dad was doing: He was being a good dad who put what was actually best for his daughter ahead of giving me what I wanted that might not be best for me. When we have unmet expectations, unanswered prayers, or a skewed meaning for the word “good”, we tend to miss the Beauty of who our Good Father is.

He is a Father who knows how to give Good Gifts, and every Good and Perfect gift is from Him.

He is the Father who makes all things work together for the good of those who love him.

He is a Father who has even called you “very good” as His Creation.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll take this version of Good any day. A Good that never fades, never changes, and never disappoints. A Good that won’t just give me what I want in that moment, but sees beyond the moment and has Good, Eternal Gifts laid out for me. A Good that isn’t just based on what He does, but who He is.

The Goodness of God is a Covering and Safe Haven for those who dare to walk into it. It’s waiting for you and ready to redeem whatever version of an Earthly father you might have had. Dare to step out of the confines of the way you see what’s good and look beyond to the Glorious Goodness of a Perfect Father.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

·When you think of the word "good", what comes to your mind?

·How is God's version of Good, better than your version of good?

·How does God's Goodness free you from shame from your past?

WEEKLY CHALLENGE

I encourage you to list out all the ways that you've seen the Goodness of God in your life this week! Start from birth and recount the ways He's been "His version of Good" to you. Find yourself running out of room and let it drive you to remember His Goodness in your life.

Want to continue in your freedom journey?

Order Morgan’s new book, Goodbye Hiding, Hello Freedom: Trading Your Shame for Redemption in Jesus HERE.