TobyMac + Blessing Offor - The Goodness Lyrics
Lyrics
You made the rain, so when it falls on me
Should I complain, or feel You calling me
It’s all on me to stay
And really catch what You’re showing
It’s my roots that You’re growing
‘Cause life is more than this moment
You are the light, so when the darkness falls
The greatest heights, they never seem so tall no not at all
You’re right, it’s my roots that You’re growing, don’t wanna miss what You’re showing
Ain’t no doubt about You
Everywhere that I go
You keep showing up (Lord You)
Make me wanna shout it
You’re the goodness in my life
And Imma tell You my truth
They may come, they may go
You keep showing up (sure do)
Ain’t no doubt about it
You are, You are
The goodness in my life
You are the joy
You’re the smile on the face of Your boy
You’re the flowers at that park in Detroit
Still the words on the back of our coins
Let’s make some noise
You cover me, my defender when You’re rolling up Your sleeves
You’re the truth that’s gonna set the captive free
The only King that’s ever chose to bleed, is what I believe
Now they keep trying to make Your glory fade
But I ain’t really sweating what they say
Through the good and the bad and the ugly
I can still see the sunshine above me
Lord I love all the ways that You love me
You’re the good, You’re the good, You’re the goodness
Video
TobyMac, Blessing Offor - The Goodness
Meaning & Inspiration
I’m standing in the back of the room, arms crossed, listening to TobyMac and Blessing Offor sing about "the flowers at that park in Detroit" and how they’re "not sweating" what people say. It’s an upbeat track, the kind that makes you want to tap your foot while you’re stuck in traffic. But then the lyrics hit that line: “You made the rain, so when it falls on me / Should I complain, or feel You calling me.”
That’s a heavy question to pack into a pop song.
If I’m being honest, when the rain falls—and I don’t mean literal rain, I mean the kind that comes when the severance package lands on your desk or when the casket closes—my first instinct isn't to look for a "calling." My instinct is to look for an exit. Calling it "goodness" feels like a stretch when you’re staring at a bank balance that doesn’t cover the mortgage. Is it actually goodness, or are we just practicing a kind of cheap grace, pasting a smiley face over a disaster because we’re too afraid to admit we’re angry?
The song pivots to the idea of roots growing. “It’s my roots that You’re growing.” That’s the part I keep chewing on. It reminds me of the bit in Luke 8 about the seed that springs up quickly but withers because it has no root. Real growth is usually slow, quiet, and subterranean. It happens in the dark, under the weight of the dirt. If the "goodness" is what’s happening in the quiet, then maybe the rain isn’t just a nice metaphor. Maybe it’s the actual, brutal pressure required to force the roots down into something that won’t snap when the wind blows.
But there’s a tension here that the music doesn't quite sit with. The song moves on quickly to "making noise" and "shouting." It’s hard to reconcile the depth of a root system with the frantic energy of a shout. When you’re actually grieving, you don’t always want to shout; sometimes you just want to sit in a room that doesn't feel so quiet it’s screaming at you.
TobyMac and Blessing Offor are clearly trying to hold onto the "goodness" in the middle of a world that feels increasingly cynical. I respect the effort. They mention the King who "chose to bleed." That’s the real deal—the only reason any of this talk about goodness carries weight. If God just stayed in the sunshine, the whole thing would be a fairy tale. But a God who bleeds is a God who understands why I might want to complain when the rain starts pouring.
I’m still not sure if I can shout about it today. Maybe the "goodness" isn't a feeling at all. Maybe it’s just the stubborn choice to stay put when everything else in me wants to run. I’ll keep my arms crossed for now, but I’m listening.