I was early for an appointment so I dashed into our local coffee shop, ‘Connections’.

While waiting for my order, I made eye contact with a woman who looked up from her book.

“What’cha reading?” I asked, although I suspected it was a Bible. They have a distinctive look.

She held it up. The New Living Translation.

“Not to spoil the ending for you,” I quipped, “but everything turns out just fine.”

She offered a grin and the briefest of knowing looks before growing serious.

“But,” she said, “it’s the getting-there part that concerns me.”

I nodded. She was talking about life between now and the end times.

“This is not the country… the world,” she emphasized, “that I grew up in. I worry for my kids’ future.”

A sentiment I’ve heard a lot lately.

“Never in my life,” she continued, “did I think there’d be people—women!— protesting in America in support of child murderers and grandma killers and rapists.”

Ahh… the terrorists’ attack on October 7 in Israel.

She wasn’t done: “Everything on the news is horrible…or fake. Doom and gloom. Terrible inflation. Bidenomics out of control. Illegal immigration. Theft. Violence. The government spying on us. Crazy people doing despicable things.”

She summed up with a huff: “Where has all the goodness gone?”

We talked more, each sharing a few passages of scripture that gave us hope and direction, then I collected my tea and continued on my way.

But I was left with a discomfort that nagged at me.

Where has all the goodness gone? Most of the news depicts the worst of society. It makes us angry. Sad. Cynical. Depressed. Discouraged.

I didn’t have an answer for her at the time, but I’ve taken a deep breath and now I do.

The goodness is still there; it’s just not always obvious.

One problem is that our distractions get in the way. Like most people, my every day is loaded with errands, people, work, interruptions, problems, schedules, deadlines, appointments, commutes. Just typing that list is exhausting.

Everyone’s life is busy. Demanding. Sometimes hectic.

In Mark 1:35 we read this about Jesus: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place, and there he was praying.”

That verse talks to us of spending time with God. But we need to take time to seek out His beauty and the goodness in His people too.

The pursuit of goodness and good people has been a mainstay of mine as I raised my son, carried out my work and writing, and settled into semi-retirement. Goodness in people gives us hope, makes the world a better place, and helps us become better versions of ourselves.

If you search beyond the mainstream media and their often-fake news, you’ll find examples of the best in humanity.

Not long ago I read about a 91-year-old Arizona Army vet named Floyd who was robbed of $7K in cash while pumping gas. He had saved the money to get his teeth fixed and was on his way to deposit the money in Chase Bank. The community rallied together and raised more than $10,000 for him. You can read more here.

Another fun story involved an 82-year-old Walmart employee who was able to retire after a TikTok video went viral, producing a GoFundMe effort by others that raised over $100,000. You can read more here.

In March a three-year-old boy in Rockland, Maine, rode his Spiderman bike to the store with his mom. When they came out the bike was gone. A homeless woman learned about it on Facebook and replaced it with a Spiderman bike, helmet, and lock. Read that again: a homeless woman. Thereafter, a group who heard about the homeless lady’s charity raised money to help her get an apartment. You can read more here.

This past year I read about a man in Alabama who, after paying for his prescription at the local drug store, handed them an extra $100 bill. He asked them to use it for someone who couldn’t afford their prescription. From time to time, he’ll stop in to replenish the money. Then there are the students at a Texas high school who raised $270K for their 80-year-old janitor so he could retire. He had been forced to rejoin the workforce because he couldn’t afford to be retired anymore. You can read more here.

Finally, and to bring this full circle to Israel: A group of cowboys from Montana and Arkansas headed to that small country in November to provide support because, as they said, it “is a moral duty.” No, they aren’t Jewish or Israeli or wealthy. After Hamas slaughtered 1,200 people, the Israeli Defense Forces called up thousands of citizens for the draft to fight. The American cowboys felt the need to do what they could to help, such as pick vegetables, help with harvest, do odd jobs. You can read more here. 

Bottom line: The world is filled with good people. If you can’t find one, be one.