2024 in Review: The Goodness of God

“For the LORD is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations.” Psalm 100:5 (CSB)

God is Good!

On the last day of 2024, as I look back on the year that was, one thought keeps coming to the top of my mind: God is Good, all the time. All the time, God is good. In a year that will be one for the record books, I can say with confidence, buttressed by personal experience, that God is good. Not just sometimes. But, all time. Not just when we stand on the mountaintop. But, also — maybe most especially — when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

God’s goodness is who He is. It’s central to His character. Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, testifies loudly and clearly to the goodness of God. When speaking to a rich young ruler who was searching for answers to the meaning of life, Jesus, who is Immanuel (“God with us”), affirmed God’s unique goodness:

As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.” Mark 10:17-18 (NLT)

The Good News of the Gospel

How can we know that God alone is good? Through the message that He proclaimed through His Son, Jesus Christ:

After John was arrested, Jesus went up to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.” Mark 1:14-15 (CSB)

When we repent and believe the good news — that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4, CSB) — we can then begin to comprehend God’s goodness towards sinners like us. In Jesus Christ alone can we “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8a (CSB)

Reflecting on God’s Goodness

Reflecting on God’s goodness to me in 2024, I can say that I have had more than a taste. It has been a buffet of goodness. From spending time with our first grandchild, born last December, to celebrating 32 years of marriage to Brenda in July, I have experienced God’s goodness through my family. I have been blessed with three wonderful sons and two beautiful daughters-in-law. I enjoyed attending a family reunion in St. Augustine this summer, which included my mom, my sister & her family, the first such gathering since before COVID.

In October, I marked my fifth anniversary as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Carlsbad, NM. I don’t know where the time has gone, but it seems like just yesterday I was preaching my first sermon at this wonderful church. In many ways (all good), it seems like I have been here much longer than five years. I think the pandemic somehow affected time or, at least my perception of time.

Tasting God’s Goodness

As much as I have tasted the Lord’s goodness, perhaps no greater taste was with my health. That I am able to write (type) this post is a testament to God’s goodness to me. In June, I experienced an episode of atrial fibrillation (Afib). Without any physical exertion, my heart started racing, upwards of 160 beats per minute. I knew something wasn’t right. My Apple Watch showed that I was in Afib.

By the time I arrived at my doctor’s office, I was no longer showing signs of Afib. What a relief. I did have blood work done which showed high cholesterol levels and a slightly elevated blood sugar level (neither of which was a complete surprise). I was prescribed some medication to manage my heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol and went on my merry way, ready for our trip to St. Augustine.

When we got back to Carlsbad, life got back to normal. Little did I realize that my normal was about to change. I often say that life is normal until it’s not. My not-so-normal life struck in the early morning hours of Saturday, August 24, 2024. As a man of a certain age, I usually awaken in the middle of the night to visit the bathroom. Such was the case that night. But, something wasn’t right.

Is it a stroke?

I had been sleeping on my left side. When I awoke, I noticed my left arm and hand were “asleep.” We’ve probably all had that sensation when a hand or a foot that has been in the wrong position for too long “falls asleep.” However, I immediately knew that there was something else going on. As I shook my arm and hand, it felt heavy, like a dead weight. I’d never experienced that before. After a few minutes without my arm and hand responding, my initial thought was that I had suffered some kind of stroke. I turned on the bathroom light to look at my face in the mirror (not a pretty sight at 3:00 AM), fully expecting that the left side of my face would be numb or drooping. Much to my relief, it was not.

Rousing Brenda from sleep, I explained what was happening. We decided to go to the Emergency Room at our local hospital. Do you know how hard it is to make yourself get up, get dressed, and drive to the ER in the wee hours of the morning? I’m glad we did. After undergoing more EKGs, two CT scans, and consulting via video with a neurologist (Carlsbad didn’t have one on call), it was determined that I needed to have an MRI that day. As Carlsbad Medical Center did not have an MRI available until Monday, the decision was made to transport me, via helicopter, to Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock.

Helicopter Rides and MRIs, Oh My!

One of my favorite television shows of all time is M.A.S.H. I always thought it would be cool to ride in a medical helicopter. After my 1 hour and 5-minute flight from Carlsbad to Lubbock, billed at $89,000, I wouldn’t recommend it unless it is medically necessary. Thankfully, my insurance company determined that my flight was medically necessary and, covered the entire cost. Whew!

When I arrived in Lubbock, I was taken to the ER. Before too long, I finally had an MRI and was transferred to a regular room on the stroke ward of the hospital. Later that day, the neurologist stopped by my room to check on me. She told me that the MRI had confirmed that I had suffered a mild stroke on the right side of my brain. This ischemic stroke was likely caused by a small piece of plaque being dislodged from somewhere in my body and traveling via my bloodstream to my brain, causing the stroke.

When I met with the cardiologist, he confirmed that the stroke’s root cause was most likely my atrial fibrillation which I had experienced back in June. Afib is the number one cause of ischemic strokes like the one I had. Who knew? I certainly didn’t. You learn something new every day, but that’s not how I wanted to learn this interesting tidbit of information.

Heart Ablation on the table

Because of my age and the new and relatively minor occurrence of Afib, the cardiologist recommended that I undergo a heart ablation procedure to fix the Afib so that it would no longer be a risk factor for future strokes. I would also be put on various medications to help prevent or minimize the likelihood of another stroke.

That was all good news to me, but I still had no use of my left arm and hand. My arm still felt dead and, I had absolutely no dexterity or control over my left hand. Trying to touch my face with my index finger wasn’t happening. Let’s just say that I would have failed a field sobriety test and it wouldn’t have been close.

As the first 24 hours turned into day two, I got out of bed and began walking down the hall with a physical therapist. I didn’t notice at first, but as I walked back to my room, with no assistance, I saw over every door in the hallway a sign that read, “Warning. Fall Risk.” There was only one door that did not have that sign. Mine.

You see, my stroke could have been so much worse. If a larger piece of plaque had broken off, it could have caused more damage. The only noticeable effect of my stroke was confined to my left arm and hand. Would I get movement back in my arm and hand? If so, how long would it take? Would it ever get back to normal, whatever normal is? These were all questions racing through my mind.

Answers to Prayer

The answers to those questions would come, thankfully, fairly quickly. By Sunday, I could move my arm without it feeling as heavy. My left-hand dexterity was beginning to improve, even if so slightly. I could at least touch my fingers to my thumb, although not as rapidly as I would like. By Monday, most of the feeling in my arm and hand had returned. I could tell a slight difference, especially when trying to use my left hand for typing or holding a cell phone.

A week after my stroke, all visible signs of the stroke had all but disappeared. How was that possible? In a word, God. I had so many people praying for me. All over the country and around the world, people had been lifting me up in prayer. I know without a shadow of a doubt that God, in His goodness, healed me. He answered not only my prayers, but the prayers of those who interceded on my behalf. Words cannot begin to express my overwhelming sense of gratitude and thankfulness.

On November 4, I successfully had a heart ablation procedure performed. From all indications, it appears that the surgery has corrected the Afib. Lord willing, I will not have any more strokes.

Singing of God’s Goodness

That I am typing this post on December 31, 2024, just a little over four months following my stroke, is nothing short of a miracle. I have been blessed beyond measure. When I look back at 2024 in the years to come, Lord willing, I will remember this year for God’s goodness and grace that He has shown to me. I’m not much of a singer. As Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry would say, “A man’s got to know his limitations.”  But, when it comes to God’s goodness, there’s no limit to how loud I will sing:

I love You, Lord. Oh, Your mercy never fails me. All my days, I’ve been held in Your hands. From the moment that I wake up Until I lay my head Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God. And all my life You have been faithful. And all my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God. (“Goodness of God”video)