You Can Stop Trying to Be a Good Person.

The first thought that came to mind when I opened this week’s photo was, How did I do that? By that, I mean selective coloring. Did I use a camera setting? Was it part of post-processing? I couldn’t remember, and I knew there was no way I could do it now without research.

Here’s the problem. I’ve been away from my camera for a long time. Other than occasional, impromptu grandchild photo sessions, I rarely use it. I haven’t sought any type of photo creativity in years. That may not mean much to the rest of the world, but to me, it is sad.

Sad because I love photography. You would think loving something would mean you would spend a lot of time doing that something. For me, I’ve allowed other interests to take the place of photography.

Not all of those interests are bad. My creative energy shifted several years ago from photography to writing. I wouldn’t say writing is a bad thing. My wife and I have also ramped up time with grandchildren, gardening, church duties, and traveling. I love doing them all. None of those activities are bad. They simply take time away from photography. That’s the reason I would need to research not only how to shoot selective coloring, but many other special effects as well. Too much time away.

If you find yourself trying to be a good person, you may have the same issue.

I believe we would all agree that being good is a virtue. The Bible tells us that the fruit of the spirit includes goodness. So, why do we not naturally act good all the time? Especially those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. If you’ve read other posts of mine, you know I routinely talk about Christ living in us. You’d think we would naturally reflect that.

Not if we allow other things to take the place of time with Jesus like other interests and my photography. And like my other interests, things (thoughts, activities, interests, etc.) that take our time away from Jesus aren’t necessarily bad things, but they shouldn’t take the place of precious time with Him.

You Can Stop Trying to Be a Good Person. #hope #joy #writingcommunity Share on X

When we spend time with Jesus, we get to know Him better. We sense the differences between His spirit and our flesh. We become aware of the fruit of His spirit within us. Our thoughts and actions reflect more of Him and less of us.

We find that being good is, in fact, not our being good, but God’s being good through us. As Paul tells us in Galatians, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

We can stop trying to be good.

Look what God promised the Israelites during one of their rebellious times.

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and follow My ordinances.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27, NASB)

Do we produce a new heart? A heart not of stone, but of flesh? Do we cause God’s Spirit to reside in us? Do we bring about the strength to walk in His statutes? Can we follow His ordinances on our own?

Clearly not. God said,

“I will give you a new heart.”

“I will put a new spirit within you.”

“I will remove the heart of stone.”

“I will give you a heart of flesh.”

“I will put My Spirit within you.”

“I will cause you to walk in My statutes and follow My ordinances.”

Are you trying to be good on your own? God tells us to rely on Him.

Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.