Loving the Good and the Bad

What does it mean to be a “good person”? I hear that a lot as I go about my day; people say “…but I’m a good person” or “…he really is a good person, though”. More often than not it seems, that statement comes as a validation, usually after something not so complimentary. You know those situations where someone has behaved badly, but they “really are a good person” in spite of what they have done. “Bob cheats on his wife, but he really is a good person”, or “Sally abuses pain pills and drinks too much, but she’s a good person”. It seems like it’s almost a knee jerk reaction to say that we, or someone else, is good. That in spite of whatever “bad” they may do, there is still some value to who they are and the bad stuff should just be overlooked.

I started to really think about all of this while deciding whether or not to buy a co-worker a card. His dog died, and he was pretty bummed out about it. Not being a pet owner, I don’t completely understand people’s attachments to pets, but I can empathize with the loss of a significant relationship and the void that it leaves. Dogs and cats aren’t people, but they have souls and personalities, and they are individual and unique, just as humans are. I found myself second guessing the gesture of picking up a card and a small gift card for coffee. I often over analyze every decision that I make, but in this case, I wanted to make sure that I was doing it for the “right” reason. Not exactly sure what the wrong reason could be, but I didn’t want him to think I was strange for deciding that his loss merited Starbucks and card with a goofy dog wearing a cape on the front.

As I was going over my decision in my head, I caught myself thinking, “I’m doing this because I’m a good person”, as if somehow this singular act made me noble and wonderful and free from flaws, mistakes, or malice. The more I thought about it, the more I considered the idea of “good” and “bad”, and even more so the idea of being redeemed. According to the Word of God, we are all bad and fall short. We are all full of sin. Sin is not good. However, because God is good, and he sent his Son to die for us and to atone for our sin.  And all our “badness” can be and is forgiven because of the love that was shown for us.

I have to be upfront and honest and say that I am NOT one of those glass half full people that believes we are all inherently good. It could be because I have seen so much evil perpetrated by one human being onto others over and over that I have now become a bit cynical. My best friend and cousin would definitely say so. But regardless of what anyone’s opinion is about that, it is impossible to be a Christian and not agree that we all sin, daily, and have to be forgiven, daily. We do bad, daily, and he cleanses us, daily. This fact leads me to believe that asserting my “goodness” is pointless, because it is already established that I am not. Instead, I find it better to strive to be a person who shows love, a person who shows compassionate, a person who is genuine, or a person with an open heart. It really isn’t necessary to qualify my behaviors as good, better, best, or bad, worse, worst. My goal however is to be obedient and show love to my neighbor, as Jesus commanded. Love can cover a multitude of sins—after all, His love did that for me.