Good to the Bone

I know a lot of nice, well-behaved, kind, considerate people. But after I get to know them deeply, I realize that they are flawed, just like I am. Most of us have several layers of admirable qualities. Our friends, family members, coworkers, etc. rarely dig past these first few layers and find out what lies below. Since I like to dissect everybody and everything, I want to share my observations about one extraordinary individual that I know.

I have a friend who is good to the core. On the outside she looks like most others. Yet after getting to know her, you realize she is different. The adjective I would use to describe her is ‘goodest’. Yes, I know this is not a real word, but ‘best’ doesn’t do her justice. The more I dig the more good I find. I’m shocked and alarmed at her purity, because it is so unusual. It’s like digging through a box of costume jewelry from your attic and finding a piece made of pure gold! You scratch this piece on a touchstone, expecting to find that it is, at most, just gold-plated. Yet the more you rub, the more gold is revealed!

How do you make sense of such a weird find? How did this piece get in with the rest?

I’m not sure what to make of this ‘goodest’ friend. I can see that suffering has purified her. I sense that God is within her and working through her. I know I have a lot to learn from her. When she is near, I’m reminded of the following song lyrics:

Jesus in disguise
Jehovah passing by
The burden of a tear
Hanging in your eye (lyrics from Jesus in Disguise by Brandon Heath)