August 2025

Letter from the Committee

Goodness

I’m good. It’s fine. True or not, these phrases are almost a reflex in our culture today. Is anyone else reminded of the much-used gif where a cartoon dog sips coffee and assures himself that everything is alright while the entire house around him is burning?

When we are refreshed, encouraged, or at ease, seeing goodness in our circumstances does not take much effort. In the valleys, however, it can feel like searching for reflections of starlight in a dense forest. At the heart of this wrestling lies a piercing question, “Is God good?”

Believers (especially any of you apologetics competitors out there) know the answer is, of course, yes! Yet, the pain or bleakness of heart in the midst of darkness produced by an utterly broken world can leave us viewing God’s goodness as a vague and distant promise at best.

Recognizing and living in God’s goodness doesn’t mean we look at bad situations and call them good. It means we can be filled with His goodness and light even when surrounded by darkness. Among many descriptions throughout Scripture, God’s goodness is moral perfection, unconditionally loving, faithful, and generous. However, perhaps we could summarize it all as His heart rightly (or uprightly) and infinitely inclined toward us in every way.

Right now, do you truly believe that God is good, and that He is specifically good to you?

When we struggle to know His goodness, may we be children of God who boldly ask Him to open our eyes to His light. It is there, and it is His joy to reveal Himself to us. An inflated sense of darkness in comparison to light is a favorite tactic of the enemy to detach us from our lifeline in the Father. Let Christ show you the victorious meaning of how light pierces darkness. Let Him demonstrate and include you in how He uses the dichotomy between goodness and evil to pursue other broken and lost hearts too.

In the collaborative work, Identity Theft, Lindsey Carlson writes, “We have enormous potential to reflect the glory of God when we’re living in tune with what’s ultimately true and beautiful. We’re made in the image of God, uniquely positioned to demonstrate His attributes to a watching world.”

His goodness is perpetuated through us. As His good heart is inclined toward us, how can we develop hearts of goodness inclined toward others? Where can we be bridge builders in our circles? Where we are known as “good people”, how can we be intentional in pointing out the how and why behind our good? This month, join us in wrestling with these questions, and be encouraged in how the Lord answers in His rich goodness!

Your Stoa Alumni Committee,

Samuel Durand (AR), Nicole Kaiser (MT), Alyssa Sloneker (AR), Denise Sprimont-Vasquez (VA), Elizabeth Stapleton (OK), and David Vasquez (VA)

VIEW FULL ALUMNI POST