Taking a brief break from my weekly “Manage Yo’ Self” series because something with a little more oomph came up yesterday.

I was out looking for new shoes with my wife since all mine were torn up. I don’t replace shoes often because I don’t often have the money for them. Well, I have a summer job now, so we set aside $60 to buy some shoes. We walked around the mall looking for a deal and amazingly, we saw a pair in my size for $20!

It was the only one in my size left, so I snagged the box, utterly amazed at the savings, but I turned to my wife and said, “Well, God is good!” God has been very good to my wallet, especially when the world hasn’t. I’m nowhere near rich, but God has always provided, so I thank him for every deal I find that saves money.

Well, we went to the checkout and it rang up as $50. That’s a little different than $20. I asked and they investigated. It turns out, the sale tag wasn’t attached to the display shoe. It was for another shoe and had broken off, but someone just tossed it up there, so I got no great discount after all.

But as I put the shoes back, I realized a choice in front of me. I’d said that God was good because I got a great deal and saved a lot of money. But it turns out I DIDN’T get it…so what did that mean?

I consciously made the choice, turned to my wife and said, “Well, God is good anyway.”

God’s goodness doesn’t depend on me getting a good deal. It doesn’t depend on me getting a paycheck. It doesn’t depend on me receiving the same blessings as that guy in the mansion with six cars. I don’t base God’s goodness on what he does for me.

I heard a story of a millionaire who used to dress himself up as Santa Clause at Christmas and give lots and lots of money to people who needed it. For a long time, nobody knew his name, only that he was a paragon of generosity, sharing his great wealth with people who had so much less.

I never received a dollar from him. Does that make him less generous? No, of course not. He’s generous anyway.

A man can be a good father even if you weren’t the one he raised. A woman can be a good waitress even if you’ve never been served by her. A bargain can still be a good bargain, even if you can’t afford it. The sun is still boiling hot, even in the depths of winter. The definition of anyone, anything, or any place is not dependent upon your experience with it. You don’t define its value. It has a value, and you have to see it.

So, that’s why I said God is good when I thought I had a discount and when I discovered I did not. His goodness does not depend upon me saving money. Nothing about God depends on how I see Him, for he is God, no matter what I see. I know that He doesn’t change and never will, so if he appears to change, I just have to check my eyes.

I hope you know his goodness, too, even if you don’t always feel it.