The Presence of Goodness
“Jesus wept.” John 11:35
Insight
Goodness is difficult to define if you truly think about it. You could ask 100 people to define goodness, and you will get 100 different answers. But one crucial lesson we can all learn is that goodness can exist even when it does not feel like it is present. This can be a struggle for a lot of us as we are conditioned to associate good things with positive feelings such as joy and excitement. But if goodness were tied to emotions, it would be inconsistent and shaky.
We see this when Jesus stood at the grave of his friend Lazarus. When Jesus’ good friend Lazarus was sick, Jesus did not respond with urgency to heal him and he died. When Jesus arrived at the grave of Lazarus, his sister Mary approached him in tears and told him, “... if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32).
What I love about what John recorded next was that Jesus did not tell Mary that everything would be okay, but rather, John recorded that Jesus was troubled in his spirit. Jesus stood at the tomb of Lazarus, and he wept.
Jesus, the embodiment of joy and goodness, wept at the reality of our broken world, and at the reality of the broken hearts around him.
Jesus was willing to enter into the pain, the heartbreak, and the brokenness. And then, with just a few words, he called Lazarus out of the grave and give him life again. But knowing the miracle he was about to do did not stop Jesus from being present in the earlier heartbreak.
A couple of weeks ago, I experienced this firsthand. My wife Denise and I stood at a graveside that should never exist. We stood speechless in front of where we were going to bury Oliver Harris, the incredible baby that Denise carried for fifteen weeks before life threw an unforeseen tragedy at us. There were no words for the moment, and no way to put any logic into the reality of what we were experiencing. The tears began to flow. And in the midst of our tears, I had this image of Jesus standing with us, and he was weeping too. He was reminding me that goodness can even exist in the raw places that do not make sense.
Jesus. did not have an answer for me, he did not give me a verse. He gave me his presence.
At one of my lowest and most challenging moments of life the only thing I needed was the presence of goodness. I trust that God will reveal a greater purpose for this pain, even if it might not be until I am with him face-to-face. For now, his presence has been the goodness Denise and I have needed in this season.
And God took it a step further, and he has given us people as a gift of presence to be with us. We could not have entered into this season without the loving community that has rallied around us. While we are so thankful for the meals people provided, nothing has compared to those who came and sat with us as we cried and mourned.
One of the greatest gifts of goodness we have from God is his presence. Whether we have it all, or have nothing at all, there is no greater demonstration of God’s goodness than him walking with us through this life.
Let’s also consider how we can be present with someone. Those who sit with those who weep never regret it, and the ones who weep will never forget how someone else entered into that moment with them and gave them their presence.
Reflection
Where can you carve out more time in your schedule to be with Jesus?
Who do you know in your life that you can give your presence to? What would it look like for you to be with someone as they are in a tough season?
Prayer
Father, thank you for being with me. How easy it is to forget how present you are for me, and the beautiful reality that I can be with you. It is difficult to think of anything else that has more goodness than you being with me. Help me to remember your presence, to make time for it, and to dwell within it. I pray this all in your name, Amen.
Port City writer Davy Nance wrote today’s devotional.