The Holy Spirit’s sixth gift is goodness. Getting a specific grasp on what that is, is not so easy. Goodness is one of the words we’ve tended to cheapen. The first definition Webster gives is: The quality or state of being good. The third option for a definition is: The nutritious, flavorful, or beneficial part of something.
Let’s take one more step back and look at good. Historically, root forms of good are found in Old English and Old High German. But wait! Someone has taken the source of the word good all the way back to the ancient language Sanskrit. Does that alarm you? Please don’t be, because the Sanskrit word means “what one clings to.” Which, although the speakers of Sanskrit had no clue, echoes a scriptural command in Romans 12:9: “cling to what is good.”

Think about it. Unless you’re a scientist doing an obscure experiment on food mold, you’re not going to keep a rotting tomato.

The Holy Spirit’s sixth gift is goodness. The dictionary definition of good includes adjectives like: favorable character, bountiful, attractive, reliable, true, deserving respect, honorable, virtuous, right, commendable, kind, benevolent, and close. These are things we can emulate.
In my opinion, the somewhat odd encounter Jesus had with the rich young man happened because the young man, who though asking about eternal life, wasn’t giving God the Son full, heart-felt honor with his salutation of Good Teacher. Jesus, fully God and fully perfect human, wasn’t about to stand for a fake compliment.
The Holy Spirit’s sixth gift is goodness. Let’s take a look at that third dictionary definition: The nutritious, flavorful or beneficial part of something. Does it seem weird to describe God as flavorful? Remember all these gifts we’ve been discussing are to make our character reflect His.
The apostle Peter borrowed an idea from Psalm 34:8 when he told the believers to whom he wrote “grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” To this day, Jewish children beginning to study Hebrew are rewarded with honey.
We have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God. Are the words that leave our mouths nutritious, flavorful, and beneficial for the people who hear them? Do our lives taste of a relationship with our Savior?
Personally, I don’t want any encounter I have with someone to leave a bad taste in their mouth.

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If you’ve ever been curious about Heidi’s fiction, there are links to short stories and an anthology on this page.

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