Good Does Not Mean Obedient

“The Good came among you, pursuing (the good) which belongs to every nature.” (Mary 3:5)

The Gospel of Mary doesn’t refer to god as god at all. God of course is the masculine form of the creator, or ultimate divine being in the English language. The feminine form is goddess. The Gospel of Mary refers to god or goddess, or the ultimate creator, as simply, The Good. 

And the Gospel of Mary explains that human beings are not inherently or innately sinful. Human beings are a part of The Good. Christ explains the human condition in Mary’s gospel by saying, “The Good came among you, pursuing (the good) which belongs to every nature.” (Mary 3:5)

The Greek word for belong means “to pertain to, and to reside in.” The Good pertains to us, all of us, and the good resides within us, not far, far away when we’ve reached some elusive ideal of what it might mean to be "good” according to someone outside of us. 

The Good belongs to every nature. This is important to emphasize: 

The Good here isn’t earned. The Good belongs to us, within us. The Good is inherent in what it means to be human. It is not performative; we do not have to follow rules created by others, our family even, about what we have to do to be considered “good.” Good does not mean obedient. Good does not mean quiet, docile, submissive. Good does not mean doing what we’re told. 

Good refers to the nature, the root, the core of who we are. And if we let it, the fact that we are Good—that truth alone—can transform our entire lives. 

We can let go of the guilt, the shame, the feeling of not being enough or of being far too much. We can let go of the idea that we are somehow less, or worth less, because we are human. We can let go of the idea that god is a divine being who is way up there, way beyond us and out of our reach. 

We can let go of this idea of a spiritual hierarchy, this idea that somehow, we are ranked on some vertical axis from the most saintly at the tippy-top to the most sinful down at the bottom. 

We can let go of this constant struggle to feel good, or to be perceived as good, or to prove our goodness, and we can remember the truth that we are Good. We are a part of the ultimate Good. And this is both our truth to claim and our purpose to live. 

Start here—you are Good. Let that truth ring through you. Let that truth guide you. Let that truth remind you of who you are, and of your purpose here on earth. You are inherently Good. 

And with that goodness, you will see all of those around you differently. You will see that every nature, every modeled form, every creature belongs to this same goodness that you are. 

With only more love, 
M.