Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you try to be a good person, you still fall short? It’s a common struggle, but one that can actually lead us away from true goodness.”

It’s a paradox that has plagued humans for centuries, but one that is especially relevant in today’s performance-driven culture.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙭 𝙤𝙛 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨: 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝘼𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙄𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙀𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝.

The paradox of goodness refers to the idea that your attempts to be “good” or “perfect” can lead you away from true goodness. This is because you tend to measure your goodness or worth based on your actions or achievements, which can create a constant sense of pressure and anxiety.
It’s a paradox because, despite your best efforts to achieve goodness through your actions, you often fall short of your standards or those of Jesus.

This paradox is resolved through the concept of grace, which is the unmerited favour of God. This means that you are not saved or made “good” by your performance or efforts, but rather through the love and forgiveness of God, who offers you salvation and redemption through faith in Jesus Christ.

It means that you can make peace with your strength and accept your weaknesses.
It means that you don’t have to constantly beat yourself up about the mistakes you make, big or little.

The man on the middle cross, Jesus has taken away all the pressure of perfection from our lives.

𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘺.

Imagine the man beside Jesus on the cross, he was convicted of a lot of crimes and was therefore set to be crucified.
He asked if Jesus could let him into paradise.
He knew that his performance wouldn’t take him to heaven. He also knew that Jesus had done nothing wrong but yet sentenced to death.
Jesus promised to be with him in paradise.
He just believed.

You can also enter paradise today, not just the one in heaven but the one here on earth which is symbolised by a rested life…a life where you are completely at rest because you have faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
In this paradise, you’re at peace with yourself.
You can trust that He has taken away all anxiety.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝?

You don’t have to equate your worth to your performance.
Your worth can only be equated to what Jesus has done for you.
Your worth is only determined by how Jesus sees you.
He doesn’t see you for the good things you do or the bad ones.
He sees you as beautiful, special and loved and that’s because he made you that way.
He already knows everything that’s going to happen to you, both the good and the bad and He’s sticking with you through it all.

You can rest in his promises because he doesn’t go back on his word.
It’s His grace that speaks for you at all times, in all situations.
It’s His Mercy that saves you.

There will be moments where anxiety will kick in because you don’t feel you’re where you want to be.
There will also be moments of comparison with the people around you.
In those moments, you can either choose to remain in that headspace and let it take control of your thoughts or you can choose to remember that Jesus sees the end from the beginning and because He loves you, you can trust that it will end beautifully for you despite the obstacles that might show up.

It’s a redeeming kind of love.

𝘼 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙐𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧.

It’s out of response to the amount of love you have received unconditionally that you do good to others.
Because you know that He doesn’t count your mistakes and use them against you, you show grace to others.

Your heart tenders.
You forgive easily, you don’t hold things against people.
Your love for others increases because you know that you don’t deserve the love that Jesus continuously pours on you.

Your good deeds come from a place of thanksgiving for how much mercy has been poured on you.
It doesn’t come from a place of trying to appease God by them.
You keep showing gratitude to Him through your words and actions.

Just like he told the man beside him on the cross, Jesus says we can come into paradise with him today.
We can rest in His Love.

We can live freely and genuinely.
We are good because He made us good.
Your life isn’t a story of how you performed greatly to receive a reward for it.
It’s a story of Unmerited Favour.
It’s a love story between you and Jesus.
Everybody’s story looks different and that’s why you should be gracious.

𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦.

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