Good Man Lyrics

Am I a good man? Hmmm

Am I a good man?

He asked me directly, unblinking

Brazenly locking eyes with me

A man, just like me

Plagued with the same predilections, challenges & ungodly impurity

I could see

He needed authentic honesty

And for this, he chose to seek me

S.T.I.L., he asked "are you a good man?

The query struck me differently than it ever had

It spoke to my core, my spirit

I assessed for just a millisecond, 'cause that's all it took

For me to take a permeating look

At the man I've been & the man standing before him

I evaluated my every good deed while counting my plethora of sins

Meeting his gaze

I stood unphased. No

It wasn't the popular answer

And consequently, not the one he expected

But I could see he felt refreshed by my candor

Society says we're all good

I'm supposed to look at my good deeds, my good job

My good woman, her children, my kids

And my good intentions

I'm supposed to recognize that I've never committed murder

Or been jailed for a serious crime

I'm to place a checkmark next to every time

I've given to the homeless

Chose truth over a lie

Worked overtime to provide

And remembered anniversaries

Served breakfast in bed

Etcetera, Etcetera

And come to the conclusion that doing good

Means I'm inherently good

There's a problem with that line of thinking

Because this guy who writes romantic poetry

Takes the trash out, makes date night a priority

Compliments my girl's natural beauty

Begs for God to work through me

And leads Bible study

Is the same guy who's lied

Been lazy

Had messed up priorities

Taken shortcuts, given less than one hundred

Lost his temper and let it run free like thunder

Pounded his fist into his fellow man

Broken bones in the name of his own brand of justice and

Worn vengeance like skin

I was most comfortable in

Regrets, my past is littered by them

Like debris left after the storm of bad choices

So, no, I am not a good man

But, since my girlfriend, parents & children may all be listening

I must make this clear

Though I'm not perfect

I'm working on getting there

Palms 119:11 I consciously & constantly put to use

So that when the choice to sin approaches

I approach it boldly

Wrap it up in chains of The Word

And walk away

Psalms 1 is a continual reminder

That choosing His direction

Can serve as an outward reflection

Of what happens when a man chooses Biblical integrity

And as I live out Psalms 1 then Psalms 23 can be a reality

When stress and fear attempt to invade

I lean on His presence and my courage is stayed

Held in place

By His grace

The good I do, that folks want to give me credit for

Is an outpouring of His nature as it overrides my own

Lemme say that again for those who may have fallen asleep

The good that I do

Is because of the Good that's in me

And the Good that is in me is...Him

It is He who's taught me

To look respectfully

At the woman He sent me

It's He who's highlighted

The beauty in her mistakes

Grace within her failures and

The awesomeness of her efforts

He shows me her potential

Reminds me of her dreams

I hear the voice of The Creator saying to me

"Hey, this is my daughter

Treat her well

Because if you don't

Not only will I see

But there will come a night when she speaks to me

Presenting shattered pieces

Of what used to be her heart

And, young man, I will know

Your handiwork

And as any human father would

I will pursue you

With all that is in Me

As if you were My enemy

With this infinite warning in mind, I take steps

To step wisely as He leads

Perfect I am not but I am aiming to be

So I ask for your patience

And yes, that's asking a lot

I may not be the cream but

I'll eventually rise to the top

My character is flawed

My speech isn't always on point

I may forget to replace the trash bag

Every now and again....and again....and again

No, I am nowhere near perfect

That won't happen till Eternity

However, until then

Please know that a

Consistent, loving, caring, thoughtful

Hard-working, relentlessly protective and

Godly man

Is what I am trying to be