Good Enough

"Meets all expectations."

Maybe you've received a report card or performance review, maybe you've written a Google review with those words. Not bad, right? I mean, it's good to meet all expectations. Unless of course, there's that box to be checked --you know the one --the one that says, "Exceeds all expectations." 

In Psalm 16:5,6 the psalmist declares:

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.

A good inheritance. 

Romans 8:28 assures us:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

All things work together for good. 

Are we, as a culture that loves superlatives (See what I did there?) selling ourselves short when we strive for more? What if God's good is the best? What if God's good --so comprehensive, so perfect, so lavish --is absolutely, without doubt or argument good? Where are we getting our standards from, anyway?

Webster's dictionary says good is "sufficient or satisfactory." Sufficient --equal to the end proposed; enough; able to meet obligations. Why is that such a second-rate --even contemptible thought to us? Culturally, we want more; we want to exceed what is needed, have more than that which will fit in the cup. That's why public storage works! As individuals merely being "good" is not enough. We want to be noticed, to be unique or thought of as special; we long to be considered exceptional. My generation had the annual edition of Guinness's Book of World Records on its Christmas list.

What did God declare of His creation in Genesis 1? Again and again, we read "God saw that it was good." Not spectacular. Not excessive. Good means it was exactly what was needed, perfection in its goodness. God continues to create a life and a testimony for each one of us based on His expectations. Our expectations, as admirable as they may be from a human perspective, best not conflict with God's. That entry level job that supplies for your family's basic needs, that allows you to attend church on Sunday and serve at a shelter every other Saturday, may not meet your expectations; but if God says it is good, if God says you are just where you need to be, it will --in the long run --exceed your imagination in its benefits. The house with which He has blessed you may not be the biggest you can afford, you may have to wait for the bathroom from time to time, but if God has placed you in that neighborhood, if God has said, "This is good," ignore the pressure to be "exceptional." Let us never be disappointed with what God calls good. We are not settling when God says it is good; we are not missing anything when God has given us what is good. Good in God's economy is not merely good; it is perfect in its goodness.

So, are you satisfied with the good God has done in your life? Are you happy to have a good job or be in good health? Are you satisfied with the places God leads you? Do you want to go viral, or do you want to be obedient? Do you want to be relevant, or do you want to be faithful? Do you want the world to notice you, or do you want them to notice your King? Seek God's good, and declare with me, "Yes, I have a good inheritance."