Confusing Good with Popular is a Trap

Confusing Good with Popular is a Trap

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28, ESV

I hear and see this verse quoted often. It came to mind when I read this recent reflection by Seth Godin (March 2, 2025):

“Popular is easy to measure. Good, not so much…
Good work can be good without being popular…
Confusing it with popular is a trap.”

That last line gave me pause: Confusing good with popular is a trap.

In our world, popular has clear metrics — likes, views, applause, sales, recognition. It’s measurable, immediate, and visible. We like popular.

But does that make something good? Not really.

Webster’s defines good as pleasant, nice, or kind. Yet Scripture invites us deeper. Though the Epistle to the Romans was written in Greek, Paul’s thinking is deeply rooted in Hebrew Scripture. The Hebrew word for good is tov (טוֹב).

Tov means far more than just pleasant. It carries the sense of:

In the Book of Genesis, God repeatedly calls creation “good.” He is not praising popularity. He is declaring that creation works, reflecting His intended design.

But what God once called tov became fractured by sin, and the world slipped into dysfunction. The story of the Bible is the story of God restoring what was broken.

The clearest example is Jesus. The prophet describes Him as the suffering servant: despised, rejected, and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53). From the world’s perspective, the cross looked like failure. The crowds disappeared. His followers scattered. Nothing about it looked good.

Yet the cross was the greatest good God ever accomplished.

What appeared as defeat was redemption. What looked like suffering was salvation. Through Jesus, God advanced His purpose of  restoring creation as originally designed and bringing people back into alignment with Himself.

That is the good He’s promised to work in all things. He’s not guaranteeing popularity, comfort, or visible success. Sometimes His good unfolds through hardship, loss, or disappointment.

So, when I reflect about this past year with its health challenges, changes in relationships, the pressures of daily life and the impact of world events, I have to reframe my understanding of Romans 8:28.

I trust God is working for our good and that His good is not about applause. It’s about alignment. He uses all things to shape and transform us. Often quietly and sometimes painfully, …

but always to be the people He designed us to be … and for His purposes in the world.

Reflect:  Where in my life have I been measuring “good” or “goodness” by popularity, approval, or visible success? Is there a current challenge that might be inviting me into deeper alignment with God’s purpose rather than immediate comfort?

Will you pray with me? Lord, I confess that I often confuse what is popular with what is good. Teach me to desire tov, a life aligned with Your purpose, more than approval or success. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

By His grace,
Gloria Ashby
Lay Leader