Fruit at Camp #6: Goodness

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness…
-Galatians 5:22-23

It’s all Greek to me…

What even is goodness, you may ask? Is it just another adjective on the good, gooder, goodest scale? We often sing about the goodness of God, but I’ve wondered what that means.

The Greek word for goodness is Agathosyne, which refers to “uprightness of heart and life”. By experiencing the goodness of God, we come to realize His heart for us, which He revealed by giving His life for us.

One caveat – living a great life doesn’t save me. Jesus’ grace has already done that. Living with goodness means living honourably in our lives, relationships, and most importantly, our hearts. Goodness isn’t merely what we do on the outside; it’s what we do on the inside.

Here’s how I’ve seen goodness play out in recent weeks…

Agathosyne at Camp.

While I normally Lifeguard at the river, this past weekend I was given a different assignment: Kitchen Duty. For those who don’t know, this equates to entering the kitchen at 7AM and spending several hours prepping the day’s meals. It also includes serving said meals.

Long and short, it was awesome. First, I learned lots about food preparation, baking, cooking, cutting, serving, and more. Second, I did it with an awesome crew of kitchen staff and full-time volunteers. Third, seeing the campers’ expressions as we served them was priceless.

During Middle School camp, our theme verse was Psalm 34:8: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” This past week at camp, I experienced goodness on two fronts. In the kitchen we produced edible goodness. Beyond that, we worked from the goodness of our hearts to bring God glory and serve the campers.

Lessons from the Kitchen.

You may not see it from the outside, but kitchen work is an exercise in teamwork, service, and especially humility. All three of these virtues reflect the goodness that Jesus displayed. As I summarize each one, hopefully I’ll give you something to chew on…

Teamwork.

“For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
-1 Corinthians 3:9

Camp as a whole – and especially the kitchen – is a game of working together. There is no time to go solo or try to do everything yourself. The kitchen teaches teamwork because success is impossible without it. If only we approached life with the same outlook.

Remember that teamwork is a recipe for success.

Service.

“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.”
-Matthew 25:35

Truth be told, serving in the kitchen isn’t about me. I love that. I didn’t make food for my glory (I can’t eat 100 bagels); I did it to bless others. Sometimes I buy the lie that camp is all about me and what I find enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong: I loved working the kitchen. However, I didn’t love it because it benefited me (getting up at 5AM isn’t ideal). I loved it because my work served God’s Kingdom and the campers.

Remember that serving others isn’t about cooking up glory for yourself; it’s about God.

Humility.

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body.”
-Romans 12:4-5a

I want to pause on this one because it’s crucial to success. My sin nature is terrifyingly good at gauging my surroundings and saying, “Look at that person, their job is more important than yours, they get to have more fun at their activity, they don’t have to work as hard in this area, etc.”

Working in the kitchen flattened those walls, because we’re all on the same playing field (or tile floor). Each person in the kitchen received a different job. Some restocked condiments, some sliced fruit, some made sauce, some laid out frozen food on trays, some worked on dishes…and we all worked together.

There was no comparison, because without any one of us, nobody could have succeeded. Without everyone’s unified effort to complete their task with goodness, we would have served the campers air. Only by a combined effort could we prepare the entire meal on time.

What’s really incredible is that I felt zero comparison, pride, or jealousy, because God had given everyone a unique job to do. A major root of the Western church’s problem stems from comparison. We grow nearsighted looking at those around us, all the while missing what God has before us. To use a food example: we see the shiny cherry on top and miss the whole dessert beneath it.

The kitchen also taught me to be teachable. I don’t know half of what I’m doing, let alone the dozens of Health & Safety rules. So when the Head Cook corrected me, I (hopefully) responded in humility. I admitted my mistakes and did my best to do it the right way next time. As Proverbs 15:31 says, “If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.”

Remember that without a sprinkling of humility, your life will go sour.

Agathosyne in real life.

Teamwork, service, and humility are three important virtues in anyone’s life, not just a Christian’s. Jesus and His disciples modelled all three in everything they did (although the disciples certainly struggled with the last one).

We should aspire to follow Jesus’ example. I can apply what I learned in the kitchen – and the trait of goodness – to my everyday life.

I can demonstrate teamwork by asking others to help me accomplish a big task. You can demonstrate teamwork by asking others for help when you need it.

I can demonstrate service by seeking others’ good before my own. You can demonstrate service by looking out for the needs of others before yourself.

I can demonstrate humility by reminding myself that God has given us each a job and He has no room for pride or jealousy. You can demonstrate humility by trusting that God’s plan for you is the best plan, and by accepting constructive feedback.

Ultimately, working in the kitchen opened my eyes to a new dimension of camp work and the goodness that follows when you embrace God’s plan. The takeaways I shared today were a bonus.

As I head into another weekend of camp, let’s remember Jesus’ words from John 6:27…

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”