As I began pondering the question “What biblical foundation have I found for believing that God is good” I immediately saw God in the cool of the evening, calling out to Adam and Eve – calling out to me! God is so pleased to be with me. He is always present and intentional towards me. Though sometimes I am as a selfish child – focused on me and my circumstances, Papa God is ever near. He stands ready to meet me wherever I am. He is ready to pick me up, brush off the dust, and set me AGAIN on firm soil – on the solid Rock.

For me the Garden of Eden is a love story, full of redemption and restoration. God was not disappointed in Adam, and He is not disappointed in me. Though God and I may co-create for hours and I suddenly stumble into ungodly thoughts or actions, we remain securely connected, for Papa neither stumbles nor rejects my missteps.

I used to be angry with Adam and Eve. If only they had not messed things up for us. But then I realized that I make the same mistakes daily. God is not bothered by them, though He does wish for me to learn from them. In His goodness and His love, God nourishes and strengthen us so we may remember who we are and Whose we are. This is what is important to Him. There is no denying His goodness.

In the New Testament I am drawn to the Canaanite woman who showed great faith. No one is turned away from His goodness, and we need only the smallest portion – mere breadcrumbs – to know the love and goodness of God. His goodness is indeed extravagant. Indeed, we speak of the recklessly spending prodigal son. I would submit that God’s love and goodness is wastefully extravagant! I am undone by a vision of Papa God running towards me, arms outstretched, love and acceptance etched across His countenance.

We tend to see God’s goodness through the lenses of what He has given us or what He has done for us. This is not incorrect. It simply reflects the inability to truly know, at least in this human form, the depth and height and breadth of His love and sacrifice for us. We can do nothing to deserve it, let alone repay it. We must simply accept it.