Parent Connection - God's Not Cruel

Objective - Students will understand the goodness of God and will be encouraged to turn to Him in every circumstance.

Key Scripture - Psalm 34:8 "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

Key Thought - God’s goodness is based on His character, not my circumstances.

Lesson Summary - This lesson was the first of a new four-part series called, That’s Him! God Is More Than You Think. This module covers some moral attributes of God as our Heavenly Father. The attribute we studied this week is the goodness of God. When the Bible says that God is good, it is saying that God is perfectly upright and morally excellent, always! 

In God is the absence of evil. The absence of evil means that everything God does is only good. There is no ill will, no selfish intentions, and no prideful ambitions with God. God is not cruel! He is good.

We used the life of Joseph to illustrate God’s goodness even in the midst of hard or hurtful circumstances. Joseph’s life story is recorded for us in Genesis 37-50. We discussed the need to turn to God and not from Him when life’s circumstances are less than desirable. When things get tough, we can spend time with God, trust Him, keep a good attitude, and work hard to serve others. The students were challenged to get their eyes off of themselves and focus on the Lord and remember that God’s goodness is based on His character, not their circumstances.

We encouraged the students to understand that eventually, they’ll begin to “taste” the goodness of God even when their circumstances are not good (Psalm 34:8). When they taste the goodness of God, they will be able to echo the words of Joseph that “God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). God’s not cruel, He is only good! That’s Him!

As a way to apply the truth of the lesson, your student was challenged to begin a “Taste God’s Goodness” list either on the Notes app on their phone or in a physical journal. Ask them to share with you anything they have already added to their list. Take time this week to talk with your student about how you have tasted the goodness of God in your life and help them to see ways that God has been good in their lives. 

As a creative way to remind both yourself and your student about this list and the goodness of God, work with your student to prepare dinner one night this week. As you cook, talk about Psalm 34:8 and the goodness of God. As you eat the meal you prepared, make the goodness of God the topic of conversation around the dinner table.