You Are Good

“You are good, You are good, when there’s nothing good in me.”

This is the lie. And deep down you know it’s a lie too. They want you to believe there’s nothing good in you, nothing redeemable about you. That goodness cannot exist in anything but God.

If you haven’t heard it, the quote I began with is from one of the more famous worship songs of the current Christian era. Christians believe we are meant to “decrease that He may increase.” Lower ourselves, humble ourselves, submit. In essence, believe that God is good and that we are his antithesis. “Our righteousness is as filthy rags,” “all have sinned,” “no one is righteous, no not one.” “There’s nothing good in me.”

What a cultish and hateful thing to teach children, let alone anyone else.

There is good in you, and you know that. Maybe it’s your love for animals, maybe your love for work and accomplishments, maybe it’s your love for art, maybe it’s your love for other people. But you have good in you innately.

This is simply their way of trying to convince you that you’re sick and need a cure. That you’re helpless and need saving. They are not loving or good for shaming, belittling, and dehumanizing you.

But you are good and loving every time you make a decision that takes other sentient being’s experiences into consideration. Do not let them take that away from you. Do not let them sell you their lie.

You are good.