The Good Way Is for Everyone

A mom walks into the kitchen and sees two dirty dishes beside the sink. She has told the kids, probably thirty times, “When you finish eating, rinse your dishes and put them in the dishwasher.” But there they are again.

This time, Mom loses it.

Her children look at her incredulously, as if she has completely overreacted. “It’s just two dishes!”

If we isolate that moment from everything that came before it, they may have a point. It is only two dishes. It would take less than a minute to clean them. Small potatoes. But we know it is not an isolated moment.

Mom is responding to being ignored for the thirtieth time. She has asked clearly and reminded them patiently. Her frustration is about feeling dismissed, disregarded, and disrespected. The kids see the dishes. Mom sees the pattern. The kids see a small chore. Mom sees what that chore reveals about their relationship.

We frequently isolate one moment from the larger story and misunderstand what it means. We can be right about the details but still come to the wrong conclusion because we have missed the bigger story.

We can do the same thing with Jeremiah 6:16:

“This is what the Lord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths, ‘Which is the way to what is good?’ Then take it and find rest for yourselves.”

We can hear this as a beautiful invitation addressed directly to us: Which road am I walking? What path am I taking? Where will I find rest for my soul?

Those are good and necessary questions. But Jeremiah 6:16 is not merely an invitation to an individual trying to make better choices. God is speaking to Daughter Zion—his covenant people. He is calling out to a people whom he has loved, chosen, formed, and entrusted with a purpose.

Israel’s story is often reduced to one statement: Israel is God’s chosen people. That is true, but it is not the whole truth. It tells us what God did without telling us why he did it.

When God called Abraham, he promised, “I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” That promise became central to Israel’s identity. It even became the language of their worship: “May God be gracious to us and bless us; may he make his face shine upon us.”

God chooses. God loves. God blesses. But the promise does not end there.

God tells Abraham, “All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Psalm 67 continues, “So that your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.”

Those words: “through you” and “so that” change the way we understand the entire story.

God’s plan was not Abraham and Israel instead of the nations. God’s plan was Abraham and Israel for the sake of the nations. God called them to embody his goodness before the world. As they walked in righteousness, justice, holiness, mercy, and love, the nations would receive a living picture of life under the good reign of God.

Israel was blessed so that others could be blessed. They were given God’s way so that his way could become known. They were called into the light so they could become a light to the nations.

Peter draws this calling forward into the life of the church:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Once again, notice the “so that.”

God does not call us out of darkness merely so we can enjoy the light. He forms us into a people who walk in his ways together and sends us to invite others into life with Jesus.

The church is not merely a place we attend; it is a people to whom we belong. We have been made spiritual family by Jesus. Within that family, we use our presence, experiences, resources, and gifts to build one another up. Together, we embody and extend the life of Jesus to our neighbors.

There is something God desires to contribute to this church and our community through you. You may think you are merely greeting someone, holding a baby, serving a meal, teaching a child, praying with someone, or making space at your table. But small acts can carry enormous relational meaning. They say, “You matter. You are seen. There is room for you. You do not have to walk alone.”

That is how the Good Way becomes visible.

The Good Way is deeply personal, but it is never private. It is for our flourishing, but it is not only for us. We have been brought into the Good Way so that, through us, the Good Way might reach others.

The blessing of grace received becomes the blessing of grace shared.