A good start leads to "That's Good"

Genesis 1:4
 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

  When God created the world, he looked at each step and said, "That's good. If we want that same declaration, it would appear that we should follow his word.

   There are many who try to begin their lives based on their own plans. They have studied the lives of many superstars and decided what path they will take by emulating them. However, we should begin our lives with the main thing, which is the word of God. After that, our goal is to keep "the main thing, the main thing.

   Eugene Patterson says it's not really hard to figure out what to do with our lives. In his article called "Run with the Horses" in Christianity Today, he says, "Our lives are not puzzles to be figured out, rather, we come to God who knows us and reveals to us the truth of our lives, the fundamental mistake is to begin with ourselves and not God. God is the center from which all life develops. If we use our egos as the center from which to plot the geometry of our lives, we will live eccentrically."

   How do we begin our lives based on this word? We study what the word teaches, and then we match up our intended direction with the world, for a start. If your goal is to start a successful house of prostitution, does that match up with God’s word? What about being a successful drug dealer, pimp, or entertainer who promotes a decadent lifestyle for profit? If these don’t measure up to what the word teaches, then dump them.

   If you have found a mate and your plan is to live with them without marriage, dump that idea; it will not be blessed because it’s not according to God’s will. If life's opportunities take you away from what makes your family strong and your faith bold, dump that idea.

   Remember, after God directed each step of the creation of the world, he said, "That’s good. What we want from our new beginning is for God to say, "That’s good."

 The world often glorifies negative paths, such as crime or self-centered pursuits,  African-Americans must remember to assess our goals in light of God's word. By evaluating whether our intended direction aligns with God's teachings, we can make choices that contribute positively to our own lives and their community.

   Starting with God's word and purpose provides African-Americans with a compass for navigating life's choices. It aligns with our community's historical reliance on faith, family, and unity while encouraging intentional decisions that contribute positively to our individual lives and the broader collective.