Word Genius is an email that pops up in my inbox on a daily basis. When I open my computer each morning, it is there to greet me with a new word to define and understand. Most days it is a word that I have heard before, but its meaning is either vague or unknown to me.
Recently, the creators behind Word Genius made the announcement that a new resource called Nice News would become available for subscription. Since the last thing I need is a new daily email to read, I debated whether or not to subscribe. However, Nice News sounded appealing. With all of the not-so-nice news flooding the headlines, I decided that this bit of goodness would be a welcome addition.
Nice News brings articles of inspiration and hope to my inbox. The stories aren’t ones I find in the newspaper or hear on the local news regularly. One recent article shared the story of two women with the same unusual name who found each other on social media and established a meaningful friendship.
Other articles tell of amazing heroic rescues, scientific discoveries that will make a difference, useful ways to live simply and improve the environment, and people who are living lives that inspire others.
Nice News has been a daily reminder to me that I need good news in my life – that I need some words that remind me that all of life isn’t set on a trajectory towards doom and gloom. I read this email each morning after my time of meditation and devotional reading. The combination of these readings catapults me into my day with a question: what do I do with this good news?
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’”
Each of us has a worldview. Our worldview is the lens through which we see. This view is shaped by our life experiences, our culture, our family and friends, and our observations. Understanding our worldview is important because it influences the way we live. We may not be conscious of its influence, but it is there.
Consciously or not, we internalize things and they take shape within us. I believe that making the choice to put good news into my life on a daily basis is an exercise in shaping my worldview in a more positive way.
Whether I call it nice news or good news, scripture calls it the gospel. If the word “gospel” popped up in my Word Genius email, I would have an immediate identification with it. I learned early in my life through my weekly attendance at Sunday School that, “the gospel means good news.”
Nice news, good news, gospel, no matter what you call it, God has given us love and holy presence to carry us through our days. That’s the good news. Our days may not be filled with nice stories like those I read about in my daily email, but God has given us the means to shape our worldview in a way that causes us to live a life awakened by goodness and grace.
How does the gospel, the good news, stir us? How does it change our lives, our relationships, and our worldview?
Isaiah 52:7 says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’”
Be beautiful, my friends! Walk into this world with the gospel upon your heart and be messengers of goodness and peace wherever you go.
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