Faith Behind The Song: "Good (Can't Be Anything Else)" Cody Carnes

Have you ever ridden a motorcycle? 

I have not. But several of my friends love their motorcycles and they like to take long rides on Saturdays and Sundays near where we live. One of them taught me an important lesson a few years ago which applies to every area of life.

When my friend started taking classes to get his motorcycle license, the instructor taught him about the importance of his focus while riding his bike. He knew about the importance of avoiding distractions from years of driving his car. But, this practice took on new priority when he switched from driving a car to riding a bike. 

He said that when you’re riding a bike, your eyes direct your entire body. “You go where you look” were his exact words to me. If his eyes followed something interesting off to his right, his hands and arms would naturally and subconsciously turn his bike in that direction. If he was not intentional about where he looked, he (and his bike) would end up somewhere he never wanted to be. 

I thought about my friend’s lesson when I recently listened to "Good (Can’t Be Anything Else)” by Cody Carnes. The song invites listeners like me to focus our minds (if only for a few minutes) on the goodness of God. 

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Carnes shared the heart and the purpose behind the song in an interview several months ago:

 “This song is a celebration of the goodness of God. The Bible tells us that God is good and everything good comes from Him. I know I’ve seen His goodness in my life countless times. It’s impossible for God to be anything but good. It’s not just his character, it’s the very essence and substance of who He is. He can’t be anything else.”

Many times, we think about the actions of God - both the ones recorded in Scripture and the ones we’ve experienced personally. But, as Carnes notes, the goodness of God isn’t just what God does; goodness is who God is.

In the song, one of my favorite lyrics talks about the power of reflecting on the goodness of God in our lives. 

“Hindsight's always 20-20
Oh, I can look behind me
And see just how far I've come”

All too often, we focus on what’s wrong in our lives and around the world. We get consumed with the losses and tragedies. We text someone a meme that says “the struggle is real” or “I hate it here.” We get caught up in outrage culture, where venting frustration is high fashion and a great way to get “likes” online.

Not long ago, I spent about a year obsessed with the news. Hours and hours per day, I watched news shows. Ultimately, I realized what I was consuming and what was shaping my attitude and reactions towards others in ways I didn’t like. I quit cold turkey and haven’t looked back.

I had completely missed the perspective behind Carnes’ song. I had also totally forgotten the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:8:

 “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

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It doesn’t matter whether you prefer to get your news from Fox, CNN, or MSNBC. It doesn’t matter if you prefer scrolling Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok. In contrast to Philippians 4:8, the news cycle and those feeds often promote what is untrue, not honorable, wrong, impure, divisive, ugly, and detestable. 

You won't be filled with the hope and peace Jesus offers if all you consume is fear, anxiety, and examples of sin and brokenness.

Now, before you think I’m suggesting you only think happy thoughts and insulate yourself from our broken world, let me stop you. We have a divine calling to engage our broken world with the hope of Jesus Christ. But, we cannot give that world what we do not have. If we are as full of worry and sin ourselves, how can we point others to (much less share) God’s peace which is available to them?

Carnes invites us to focus our minds on God’s goodness, which leads us into that peace and away from worry. 

Singing along with “Good” reminded me of one of my favorite songs as a child. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his glorious face, the things of this world will grow strangely dim in light of his glory and grace.”

If you’re struggling with anxiety, worry, or feeling overwhelmed by the world today, what if you meditated on God’s goodness, instead?

Here’s three prompts to get you started. 

1. Open your Photos app on your phone and scroll through the photos from last year or your favorites from the last several years. As you scroll, hold this question in your mind. “Where do I see God’s goodness in these images?”

2. Switch up your vocabulary. Instead of asking the people you see, “what’s up?” Or “What’s going on?”, ask them “What’s good?” A man who I go to church asks me this question each time I see him. The question always shifts my focus to find something good to share - a reminder that God is always doing something good in me or around me.

3. Once you’ve identified some images or example in one of those first two prompts, create a wallpaper for your phone or computer with one of those images and the words “God is good.” As often as you unlock your phone or look at your desktop, remember the goodness of God!

If God can’t be anything else but good, then we must not be anything else other than people who fill our minds with that goodness. 

Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. Scott is married to Dani and they are the proud parents of three children. He loves helping hurting people forgive others through his Free to Forgive course and you can read more of his writing at scottsavagelive.com.