The Goodness of Our Lives

In my Theological Conversations class, we are reading the book Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer. We’re in the final chapter of the book entitled “Seasons” and this chapter is split up into the four seasons with a subtitle for each one. I was really happy about starting this chapter because I’m teaching my Music Appreciation class about the Four Seasons by Vivaldi and we’ve been exploring artwork and music related to how people interpret the attributes of each season. How fitting that this would happen in my seminary studies as well!

The quote that really stood out to me while reading was from the section for Autumn. “In my own experience of autumn, I am rarely aware that seeds are being planted. Instead, my mind is on the fact that the green growth of summer is browning and beginning to die.” (Palmer, 98) I was reflecting on this in my class discussion blog and realized that it is absolutely fitting to a conversation I had with a congregant earlier this week about how I’ve been seeing my life play out recently. I’ve noticed that I’ve been looking at a lot more of the negative aspects of life and not really been aware of the goodness going on around me. Coming after Thanksgiving and November where people have been naming one thing they are thankful for every day, I wanted to challenge myself to name one good thing every day starting today. Immediately upon thinking of this challenge I remembered one of my favorite scriptures from Psalm 27:13: I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Today’s goodness: I have seen the goodness through friends and family at my church.

Where do you see God’s goodness in your life?