And He Said it Was Good

We are all approval seekers, writes Katie Reid. "This yearning for validation lingers long and strong. It can drive us crazy or drive us to Easter and all that it stands for." In this article, Reid reminds us of the redemption God made possible with the cross.

In the beginning He said it was good.

And He saw that it was good:
His creating,
His forming,
His speaking into existence,
His handiwork...all good.

When we are young, like the earth was then, don't we feel good? Mama hangs our colorful scribbles up proud on the fridge. We offer what's in our hands and it is accepted with open arms.

I don't think that longing ever leaves—for our handiwork, our offerings, to be deemed good.

I remember it well, in 8th grade English class, when I forgot to include a topic sentence in my essay. The teacher gave me a D because I hadn't produced what was required. Her feedback felt like "Not Good" was stamped across my forehead, in scribbly red letters. Not only that, but she recommended that I take English 101 instead of Composition 1 in 9th grade.

This lover of words was devastated.

I used that "not good" as motivation to prove her wrong. I got 100% in English 1 and went on to become an English minor in college. Last year, I decided to start writing like never before and began my first book. As my heart poured out the words, I wondered if others would think it was good enough.

This yearning for validation lingers long and strong. It can drive us crazy or drive us to Easter and all that it stands for.

And, if we choose the latter, we remember when Jesus stamped "good enough" with his red blood on that cross. He offered up himself with open arms as his hands were pierced on behalf of our sin, because of our "not good". He lived sinless, died for our sins, and rose again in victory.

He is the topic sentence and he is the final word.

Jesus is the answer to our heart's cry, "Am I good enough?" As we let Jesus write his salvation into our story we can rest in the fact that he is, indeed, enough. Our striving ceases as we rest in his sufficiency.

As we accept his handiwork, his masterpiece, we are restored through his resurrection...and that is Very Good.