Made for goodness?

After hearing an interview that featured the innocuous laughter of Desmond Tutu, I decided to start reading the book he and his daughter wrote, “Made for Goodness.”

In the first chapter, he makes the claim that goodness is the norm, that we are fundamentally good. Tutu states that the reason we hear about the bad things people do on the news is because it runs counter to our natural state of goodness. He writes, “We are made for goodness by God, who is goodness itself. We are made for and like God, who is the very essence of goodness.”

I like how that sounds, but I struggle with it in the wake of violence and injustice. Last week a homeless friend was jumped and beat up as he slept; his shoes stolen.

There is so much suffering, pain, disrespect, and addiction, I often fail to see the goodness in creation and in humanity.

Perhaps the Tutu’s can bring some light and perspective into my world.