Truth Beauty and Goodness

A Three Part Blog Series

Part 3: Goodness

When I think on the idea of goodness, the first thought that comes to my mind is the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians chapter five. Here Paul lists the attributes that will be evident in our lives if we are walking in the Spirit. To walk in the Spirit is to walk in the new man (Ephesians 4:22-24). When we walk in the Spirit, we are allowing Christ to rule over our thoughts, seat Himself on the throne of our hearts and take precedent over every choice we make, whether that be thought or deed. When we walk in the Spirit, then goodness has the opportunity to be expressed in every situation we find ourselves in.  So in order for us to produce goodness, we must be walking in the Spirit.

Having established the source of goodness, let us now define what we mean by the term.

Here are a couple of definitions I have found:

“Goodness is virtue and holiness in action.”

https://www.gotquestions.org/fruit-Holy-Spirit-goodness.html

“Goodness in the Bible is a quality of moral integrity rooted in God’s own character, shaped in us by the Holy Spirit, and expressed through righteous choices and faithful living.” https://estherpress.com/goodness-in-the-bible/

It seems that goodness involves action. When God created the world, He declared it good. At each stage of the creation story, God looked at the new creation and “saw” that it was “good.” (See Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31.) So goodness requires action. Since God is good (Psalm 34:8) He can only produce what is good. In fact, He takes action as a result of “being” good. Goodness is part of the essence of God.

Let’s apply this to our own lives. When God created us in His image, He gave us His attributes. This includes goodness. Therefore, if we are walking in the Spirit of God, then we should be producing goodness. Walking in the Spirit, walking in the new creation and walking in the new man are all synonymous. The first definition quoted above says, “Goodness is virtue and holiness in action.” The second definition states that goodness can be “expressed through righteous choices and faithful living.” Let’s take these ideas and make a list of practical ways we can produce goodness in our lives.

1.       Identify some Bible verses that explain what righteousness looks like in our daily lives.

2.       Identify some Bible verses that explain what goodness looks like in our daily lives.

3.       Write out the Bible verses that speak to you personally

4.       Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to remind you to choose what is right in any situation you find yourself in so that you can then do good.

5.       Write your own definition for goodness that you can relate to.

6.       Choose to look only at those things in life that are good. That is, don’t dwell on things that are evil, bad, wicked or immoral.

7.       Look for the goodness of God in the world (https://charlottemasonpoetry.org/cultivating-a-divine-education-with-charlotte-mason/ )

8.       Purposefully plan to put “good” things into your home school lessons.

a. Nature walk/nature journal entry that allows us to study God’s “good” creation.

b. Picture study and composer study that gives us an opportunity to study the “good” talents God has given mankind.

c. Bible study that looks at how God is good.

Here are some Bible verses (NKJV) to start you off. You will notice a common thread – goodness requires action.

Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good,

A stronghold in the day of trouble;

And He knows those who trust in Him.

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all,

And His tender mercies are over all His works.

Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

So let us focus on goodness through action by choosing righteousness, walking in the Spirit and produce its fruit, choosing holiness and living faithful lives unto our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  God is good, therefore when we walk in the Spirit we can pass on His goodness to others because we are His creation and He declared us good.

Truth Beauty and Goodness

A Three Part Blog Series

Part 2: Beauty

How can we incorporate “beauty” into our homes?

This is vital for us because we can find joy in beauty. I could paint for you a philosophical foundation on which to define beauty. However, what use would that be for a home schooling mother? I will start by saying that beauty in our lives is vital.  The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:4 that a gentle and quiet spirit brings an incorruptible beauty. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 we learn that God is making everything beautiful in His time. The Lord is beautiful as said in Psalm 27:4. As we are being formed into His image through humility and submission, we are becoming more beautiful in the sight of our Heavenly Father. We can conclude then that God must treasure beauty and we therefore must seek it.

How can we bring beauty into our homes?

The following ideas have been sourced from:

•      A presentation given by Celeste Cruz at the CMEC Summer Retreat in the summer of 2022 entitled “The Source of Our Joy: A Christian Conception of Beauty.”

•      PR article – “Beauty as an Educational Force” by Margaret H. Bulley (1913)

•      The Bible

I pray that these ideas are helpful in your own homes as tools to bring beauty to you and your children’s lives.

The following quotes have been taken from “Beauty as an Educational Force” by Margaret H. Bulley. This article appeared in Volume 24 (1913) of the Parents Review magazine:

•      “In teaching a love of beauty, as in everything else, we must begin with the child. To him the world is still a fairyland. His imagination has not yet had time to be dulled by his education and environment, and he is quick to receive each beautiful impression…There is only one way to set about this training, and that is constant association with great art and objects of beauty or failing that with the reproductions of it.” (p.376)

•       “There are so many practical ways in which we can help a child to a love of beauty. We can see that the necessary objects of his everyday life are good and well made. He must learn only good poetry, only good songs must be given him to sing, and good pictures only must be hung on his walls. Our early associations become part of the fibre of our being. They are full of romance and unforgettable. The boy or girl whose mind has been stored with the poetry of Milton and Blake; who has been taught to find delight in the art of former ages and the melodies of Beethoven and Bach, and who has learnt to reference nature in all her myriad forms, will be rich for life, and will have a source of joy that nothing in the world can take away.” (p.376-377)

•      “Bring a love of beauty to the elementary school children of the town, by means of school concerts and exhibitions.” (p.377-378)

•      “As far as secondary education is concerned, all who have influence should urge for lessons on the history of art to be added to the curriculum.” (p.378)

The following quotes and ideas are a presentation given by Celeste Cruz at the CMEC Summer Retreat in the summer of 2022 entitled “The Source of Our Joy: A Christian Conception of Beauty.”

•      Authors from the Romantic period, John Keats (English poet) and Charlotte Mason all agreed that “the epitome of beauty is found in nature.”

•      “True sincerity is beautiful to others and is beautiful in the eyes of God…Sincerity comes from self-forgetfulness mostly. An interest in the other, a love for the other, drives us to be our true selves. In fact Christian thought says that truest beauty is found in self-giving, in sacrifice.”

•      “Selflessness…a key quality of beauty.”

“True beauty is sincere and selfless.”  - We need to encourage our sincerity and selflessness in our children’s lives and practice it ourselves

•      Our duties towards beauty as said by Charlotte Mason —“The duty to recognize it as a gift from God or from man. The duty to appreciate its great ideas. The duty to preserve it in a posture of humility. And as we try to bring this kind of beauty home into our real lives with our very real children, we can remember too some related duties encumbered upon us as Christians – The duty to see beauty in the ordinary and even or specially in the painful. The duty to create a serene atmosphere from a calm spirit routed in God. The duty to bring beauty to places where it is not. This seems to be a special role for mothers, as co-creators of life with God.”

Practical Advice:

• Play classical music right from birth

• Teach music appreciation to your young children

• Art Appreciation – art gallery trips, art appreciation lessons

I conclude with my own words:

I pray that there are some practical tips on how to bring beauty into your lives. As we started with scripture, I would like to finish with a scripture, for it seems that the idea of ‘beauty’ can not only be attributed to man’s creativity, but more importantly to the giver of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, the author of the Word.

Isaiah 52:7

“How beautiful upon the mountains

Are the feet of him who brings good news,

Who proclaims peace,

Who brings glad tidings of good things,

Who proclaims salvation,

Who says to Zion,

‘Your God reigns!’”

Here, Isaiah is saying that the feet that bring good news, peace, glad tidings, good things and salvation are beautiful. Even though this verse is about Jesus our Messiah, we are also called to bring those things that are good and proclaim peace. So, what then is another way to bring beauty into our home school and lives? Not just through the study of God’s creation and man’s creation, but also through the entities that encapsulate what is good and speaks peace. Those creations that speak “God reigns…Jesus is our Saviour…peace… good tidings” should be a part of our home school and life.

Let’s spread the feast through a study of ‘beauty.’

Truth Beauty and Goodness

A Three Part Blog Series

Part 1: Truth

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

How can we bring truth into our homes?

This month we are focusing on how we can incorporate “truth” into our homes. I believe it starts with speaking “truth” and thinking “truth” we can start to bring “The Truth” into our homes. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). Therefore, to bring truth into our homes is inviting the person of Jesus.

As you read through the following Bible verses and quotes think about how you can incorporate them into your homes and into your children’s lives.

What does the Bible say?

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbour, ” for we are members of one another.

What does the Bible say?

The Bible says that Jesus is the truth and if we know Him, then we know the truth. It also speaks of the Holy Spirit as the spirit of truth. If we allow the Holy Spirit to come in and transform our minds, then we are inviting the Spirit of Truth into our minds. As our minds are transformed, then we will be able to speak and think truth. As we ground ourselves in The Truth we can discern truth.

What does Charlotte Mason say?

“The mother who trains her child to strict accuracy of statement about things small and great fortifies him against temptations to the grosser forms of lying; he will not readily colour a tale to his own advantage, suppress facts, equivocate [which means to use ambiguous language to try to conceal the truth], when the statement of the simple fact has become a blinding habit, and when he has not been allowed to form the contrary vicious habit of playing fast and loose with words.” (Volume 1, p.165)

“We should always have something worthwhile to think about, that we may not let our minds dwell upon unworthy matters.”(Volume 4, p. 21)

[In reference to Bible lessons]“By-and-by they will perceive, and discard, if necessary, the accidental circumstances with which the truth is clothed upon.” (Volume 1, p.250)

Charlotte Mason says we need to develop and practise the habit of truthfulness. This is one of the fundamental habits Charlotte says is needed when raising children. To support the idea of thinking and speaking truth, we can allow the child to find the truth in the Bible lessons, as well as read and dwell on all that is worthwhile through the use of living books and narration.