My sleep-deprived eyeballs burned like hot coals in their sockets, but for one moment I breathed in the loveliness around me, and concentrated on good things. It was a moment I still remember many years later, a moment that gave me new hope and strength for the long week ahead.

When things are tough we need to stop to consider the goodness of the Lord. Goodness in things we take for granted like a warm home, clothes to wear and food to eat. Goodness in the hug from a friend, or an unexpected text saying someone is praying for us.

“The goodness of God is infinitely more wonderful than we will ever be able to comprehend.” A.W. Tozer

Sometimes we miss the goodness of God because we expect it to show up in something big. Perhaps it will be an inheritance from a long-lost relative, or a pay raise from the job we don't like. We miss God in His day-to-day goodness because we're looking in the wrong places.

If you still have a spouse, and you two get along--THAT's the goodness of the Lord. If your baby falls asleep in your arms and sighs in comfort against you--THAT's the goodness of the Lord. If you have a friend who listens when you don't make sense--THAT's the goodness of the Lord!

Things might be tough, and you might feel like crying on the inside even though you're laughing on the outside. 

But despite that, God hasn't forsaken you, and He is still GOOD!

Martin Luther said: “This is a true faith, a living confidence in the goodness of God.”

It's an act of the will to notice God's goodness in life. You can start now: Hug your spouse and say out loud: "I'm thankful for you." Look into the eyes of your child and say: "I'm thankful for you." 

When you reach for the coffee: "I'm thankful for coffee and a cup to pour it in." 

Keep saying it. Name out loud the little things that are evidence of God's goodness to you. Then you will see that the life you are living is full of the goodness of the Lord--and your heart will be helped through the tough times.

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