FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
Being Relentlessly Good
Our God is relentlessly good. Not occasionally good. Not good when circumstances are favorable, when people treat Him fairly, or when everything goes according to plan. He is good because goodness is woven into His very nature. It is who He is. And when we look at the life of Jesus, we see what that goodness looks like in the flesh.
Jesus was relentlessly good.
He showed compassion to people others avoided. He touched lepers when others kept their distance. He welcomed children when His own disciples thought they were a distraction. He stopped for the blind, listened to the forgotten, fed the hungry, and offered forgiveness to those who had every reason to expect condemnation.
But what makes the goodness of Jesus so remarkable is not simply what He did. It is that He remained good regardless of what was happening around Him. People misunderstood Him, questioned Him, insulted Him, and plotted against Him. His own disciples failed to understand Him. Religious leaders challenged Him at every turn. Eventually, one of His closest companions betrayed Him, another denied knowing Him, and nearly everyone abandoned Him when He needed them most.
Yet Jesus never allowed the sinfulness of others to determine the character of His response.
He did not become cruel because people were cruel to Him. He did not become dishonest because others dealt dishonestly with Him. He did not abandon His mission because obedience became costly. Even as He hung on the cross, enduring unimaginable suffering, He prayed for the forgiveness of those who were putting Him to death.
That is relentless goodness.
It doesn’t mean pretending evil doesn’t exist, ignoring injustice, or refusing to speak the truth. Jesus did none of those things. He confronted hypocrisy, exposed sin, and challenged those who used their power to burden others. His goodness was never weakness. It was the perfect expression of holiness, truth, love, and mercy working together. And this is where His example begins to challenge us.
It is easy to be good when people are good to us. It is easy to show kindness when we feel appreciated, to exercise patience when life is comfortable, and to love people who love us back. But what happens when someone wounds us? When we are overlooked, misrepresented, or treated unfairly? When the world seems to reward selfishness and punish integrity? Do we allow the behavior of others to determine who we become? Or do we remember whose we are?
As followers of Jesus, we are not called to mirror the darkness around us. We are called to reflect the light of Christ. Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:9 not to grow weary in doing good, because in due season we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Notice those words: do not grow weary.
God knows that putting on the armor daily can be exhausting. He knows that faithfulness is sometimes costly and that kindness is not always returned. Still, He calls us to persevere, not because goodness guarantees an easy life, but because goodness reflects the God we serve.
We will not do this perfectly. We are sinners in need of grace, and our goodness will always fall short of Christ’s. But the same Savior who forgives us also transforms us, teaching us to respond differently, love more deeply, and remain faithful when it would be easier to give up.
The world doesn’t need more people who are good only when goodness is convenient. It needs people who reflect the goodness of Jesus when it is difficult, when it is costly, and when no one is watching.
Our God is relentlessly good.
May His goodness be so evident in us that, even when the world around us changes, the people around us catch a glimpse of Him.
– Joe Bouch
