Growing Fruit: Goodness

Growing Fruit: Goodness
If you've been following along in our Growing Fruit series, you've probably noticed a pattern. Every fruit of the Spirit seems simple on the surface...until God starts peeling back the layers. Goodness has been no exception.
When I hear the word goodness, my mind immediately goes to childhood. We all wanted to be the "good kid." The one who followed directions, got the gold star, and stayed out of trouble. Even now, I catch myself measuring goodness by how productive I was today, whether I lost my patience with my kids, or if I remembered everything on my never-ending to-do list.
But Scripture paints a much different picture.
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that goodness is a fruit of the Spirit. That means goodness isn't something I manufacture through enough effort or by checking all the right boxes. It's something the Holy Spirit grows in me as I become more like Jesus.
And honestly? That's a relief.
Because if goodness depended on me alone, I'd be in trouble before breakfast.
As a mom, I have plenty of opportunities to practice goodness. Some days it looks like patiently answering the same question for the fifteenth time. Other days it's choosing encouragement instead of criticism, even when I'm tired. Working in education has taught me something similar. Every child walks through the door carrying a story I may never fully know. Goodness often looks less like having all the right answers and more like offering grace, compassion, and seeing people the way Jesus sees them.
Psalm 23 begins with these comforting words: "Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life." Think about that for a moment. God's goodness isn't occasional. It doesn't depend on whether we had a productive week or remembered our Bible reading plan every day. His goodness faithfully follows us.
When we experience that kind of goodness from God, it naturally overflows into how we treat others.
Jesus showed us that goodness is active. He didn't simply avoid doing wrong—He intentionally did good. He noticed people everyone else overlooked. He welcomed children when others tried to send them away. He fed the hungry, healed the hurting, forgave the guilty, and loved the unlovable.
Goodness isn't passive. It moves toward people.
Sometimes goodness is found in the big moments. More often, it's found in the little ones.
It's sending the text message God placed on your heart.
It's choosing kind words when sarcasm would come easier.
It's giving someone the benefit of the doubt.
It's praying for the person who just tested every ounce of your patience.
It's showing up with a meal, a smile, or simply your presence.
Those moments may seem ordinary, but God has a way of using ordinary acts of goodness to accomplish extraordinary things.
One of my favorite verses is Micah 6:8:
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
That's goodness.
Not perfection.
Not performance.
Not pretending we've got it all together.
Just faithfully reflecting the character of the One who has been so incredibly good to us.
As we continue growing this fruit together, my prayer is that people wouldn't simply describe us as "nice." I hope they see something deeper. Something that points beyond us.
May our goodness reflect God's goodness.
Because in the end, that's the only kind of goodness that truly changes the world.