Very Good: God's Vision for Wholeness, Justice, and Joy.

Tabitha Brown is known for her humor, encouragement, vegan cooking, and signature phrases. One of her beloved affirmations is 'Very good!' Whether reacting to a new product, offering wisdom, or after delivering an encouraging word, she uses it to affirm what is delightful. But long before Tabitha, God looked at creation and called it very good (Hebrew tov me'od).

The Creation Narrative and God’s Proclamation of "Very Good"

After creating the entirety of the world, God calls it not just good but very good (Hebrew: tov me’od). Scripture says, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31, NIV). As God looked upon the community of creation, He saw nothing lacking. Everything existed in balance, order, and harmony, with all the necessary conditions and relationships in place for flourishing.

The Hebrew word tov is often translated as "good," but in the creation narrative, it carries a richer meaning. In our Western, individualistic culture, we're trained to think of goodness as the desirable qualities of an object or as moral correctness. But in Hebrew thought, tov is relational. When God looked at His creation and called it good, He wasn’t just commenting on the individual characteristics of each thing created; He was affirming the interconnected relationships between them. Tov is about relational wholeness—about all things existing in harmony, fulfilling their intended purpose, and benefiting the whole. This vision of tov is the embodiment of shalom.

God's Vision for Wholeness and The Prince of Peace

It’s difficult to find an English word that fully captures the depth of shalom. While the word itself does not appear in the creation narrative, it's understood by many theologians as a picture of it. Shalom is often translated as "peace," but as Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley, author of Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision, points out, calling shalom "peace" is like calling the Grand Canyon "a large crack in the ground." Shalom is so much more than the absence of conflict; it is a vision of flourishing, where everything is as it should be, or was created to be. This applies not only to humanity’s connection with God but also to relational wholeness between people, between people and creation, between God and creation, and even within an individual’s relationship with themselves. In God's shalom culture, all of creation is perpetually in a state of wholeness, well-being, and peace.

Shalom is God's ideal vision for creation, and its significance is seen in the seventh day of creation. Unlike the first six days, the seventh day does not follow the pattern of "there was evening and there was morning." The seventh day had no end. God's intent was always for creation to rest in partnership with Him in shalom. It is this vision that God promises to restore. Speaking of Jesus, the coming Messiah, the prophet Isaiah writes:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (shalom). Of the greatness of his government and peace (shalom) there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever" (Isaiah 9:6-7, NIV).

Jesus, as the Prince of shalom, came to restore what has been broken. He is our hope, and His life, death, and resurrection make it possible for all people through faith in Him to have peace (eirene, the Greek word for peace) with God (Romans 5:1). Paul affirms this in Ephesians 2, stating that "Jesus Himself is our peace." As followers of Jesus, we are given Christ's life as a gift. The life we now live, we live in Christ (Galatians 2:20), and we are called through the power of the Holy Spirit to walk in His ways and create peace—shalom.

The Harm of False Peace and the Longing for Very Good

We know—deep in our gut, in a visceral way—when shalom is absent. When something is wrong. And when those closest to us act as if everything is fine, it creates further breakdown. It fractures relational trust. Or, as in my case, it created a fracture within my own soul.

When my family was evicted from the first home I ever knew, I was only ten. I remember the exhaustion of packing up our shotgun house late into the night, trying to stay awake, trying not to knock over candles in the dim light. But what I remember most is what I didn’t see: grief on the faces of my parents and siblings. No one named the hardship, the wrongness of what was happening. I absorbed that silence. It communicated something to me that lasted long after we moved into my grandmother's house in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

As an adult, through counseling and storytelling workshops, I revisited that memory. I realized that in moments like those, when society enforces a false peace, it sends a message: "Nothing is wrong. The problem is you." That message—internalized over time—taught me that my deep, instinctual knowing could not be trusted. That when I sensed injustice, I was mistaken.

But the truth is, God is not indifferent to our suffering. The Maker of Heaven and Earth sees our broken systems and relationships, grieves with us, and affirms that things are not as they should be. Knowing that God mourns alongside me has been a healing balm. It restores my trust in Jesus and strengthens my hope in His promise to make all things new.

The Good News of Tov and Shalom

Understanding God’s original design and intent has several benefits, but here I'll name a few:

1. It Validates Our Lament and Confirms Our Hope

   If this is what God intended, and if this is what God is restoring, then our hope is not in vain. The concepts of Tov and Shalom confirm that our dissatisfaction with sin, evil, injustice, sickness, and suffering is not misplaced. Our longings for restoration echo God's own heart. Your frustration and desire for change are signs of hope that will not disappoint (Romans 5:5).

   
   

2. It Expands Our Understanding of the Gospel

   Jesus' reign of shalom will not leave people traumatized, fearful, or lacking. Harmful systems, broken relationships, evil, and sin do that. This means our understanding of the gospel must go beyond a personal, vertical salvation. It must go beyond concern for souls to concern for the whole person, the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of the people we claim to love in Jesus’ name. It must include the restoration of right relationships between all living things. If we are looking for where to co-create with Jesus, we can look no further than to any person, place, community, or system where shalom is absent.

   
   

3. It Builds Joy

   Joy is a gift of the Spirit, sustained by connection with God and others. It is not dependent on our external circumstances. Joy is also our brain’s way of interpreting connection. Neurotheologian, Dr. Jim Wilder, explains that our brains experience joy as “someone is glad to be with me.” Joy is deeply connected to shalom, to moments of realization that we are held in loving relationships—with God, with one another, and with creation. When we remember the goodness of God, practice gratitude, forgive others, seek to make things right, and slow down to notice the flowers bloom and the birds sing, we are participating in what God calls ‘very good'—and in doing so, we cultivate a deep, abiding joy.

   
   

God's vision of shalom—relational wholeness, justice, and joy—is not only a future hope but a present calling. Even in a broken world, we are invited to be co-creators of shalom, living as witnesses to what is very good and cultivating joy as we do.


Guided Reflection Questions 

1. Where do I recognize the absence of shalom in my own life, relationships, or city? 

   
   

2. Which of the Good News points do I need most right now? (My lament and hope affirmed? A deeper understanding of the Gospel? To cultivate joy?) Ask Jesus to reveal what He is inviting you into.

   
   

3. Who around me needs this Good News? How can I partner with Jesus in extending shalom to them?

   
   

4. What is one tangible way I can participate in shalom this week? (Is there a small step I can take toward justice, wholeness, or joy?)

Closing Prayer 

"Lord Jesus, may the same mind that was in you also be in us. By your grace, transform us into people who recognize and create shalom, who notice and celebrate what is very good, and who live in the deep, abiding joy of God's presence. Amen."