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Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes All the Difference
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has witnessed some of the world's darkest moments, for decades fighting the racist government policy of aprtheid and since then being an ambassador of peace amidst political, diplomatic, and natural disasters. Yet people continue to find him one of the most joyful and hopeful people they have encountered. In Made for Goodness, Tutu shares his source of strength and optimism. Written with his daughter, Mpho, who is also an ordained Anglican minister, Tutu argues that God has made us for goodness, and when we simply start walking in the direction of this calling, God is there to meet us, encourage us, embrace us. God has made the world as a grand theater for us to work out this call to goodness; it is up to us to live up to this calling, but God is there to help us every step of the way. So tackling our worst problems takes on new meaning and is bostered with hope and the expectation that that is exactly where God will show up. Father and daughter offer an inspiring message of hope that will transform readers into activists for change and blessing.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published March 9, 2011
103 people are currently reading
1286 people want to read
About the author
Desmond Tutu
271 books539 followersDesmond Mpilo Tutu was a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. In 1984, Tutu became the second South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Tutu was the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, and primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa). Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is currently the chairman of The Elders. Tutu was vocal in his defense of human rights and used his high profile to campaign for the oppressed. Tutu also campaigned to fight AIDS, homophobia, poverty and racism.
He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2005 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Tutu has also compiled several books of his speeches and sayings.
He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2005 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Tutu has also compiled several books of his speeches and sayings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
November 5, 2013
Richard Branson 'This wonderful new book is a great gift to the world'
Bono 'Our boss and his daughter remind us.......'
Thich Nhat Hanh 'Thank you Archbishop Tutu for helping u come back home to our true nature
Mary Robinson 'Desmond Tutu has walked the talk all his life
Four bits of inane rubbish on the flyleaf of my copy of this book; they are cliché ridden and say nothing of any significance. This unfortunately is how this book comes across too. I have nothing but admiration for Archbishop Tutu as a man of courage, insight and nobility but as an inspiring spiritual writer I am afraid he comes way down the line.
He and his daughter co write this book......well no they don't. Tutu writes and every now and again he throws in an example of some inane bit of wet 'theology' from his daughter. Why I have no idea. Her contributions are miniscule and add nothing to the whole, which is not that good to start with. Sorry but this was extraordinarily unimpressive. Really sad because who doesn't want to love everything Tutu says and does but it would not be honest for me to say anything other than 'bland, bland, bland'.
Part of the big problem of the book is Tutu is simply churning out paragraphs of cliché ridden waffle which I, as a believing and praying Christian can fully accept and see because I have an experience that backs it up but so much of his 'preaching' bears no reality to the majority of people's lives, makes no attempt to make inroads of discussion or explanation to those who do not share his experience. Now to be fair that might not be his intention anyway but the gushing claptrap of the flyleaf contributors presents this book as the one to transform the world......well it won't.
eg. 'Goodness is not the coin from which we anxiously pay for God's love. Our goodness is rather the recognition we offer and the thanks we return for the gifts and the love already given us. Rather than a request for something yet to come, it is a response to the abundance of gifts that have already been given and received'
This I can accept and rejoice in but that is because I have an experience, no matter how imperfect, of a loving God. Tutu makes no effort to reach out to anyone other than believers. He talks religious speak and waffles prettily about beauty and goodness but in an artificial and pointless way.
At another time he visits prisoners and tells them ' God has no one more beautiful than you'. This is pious claptrap. Murders, child abusers, rapists.....all of these may well have the capacity for beauty and they are certainly loved by God but they are not beautiful now. The unconditional love of God is unconditional; in other words, whether I am beautiful or not He loves me. To sweep away people's cruelty and wickedness and cloak them in the pious rubbish of 'all of you are beautiful' is to betray the challenge of our call to live lives of goodness and kindness.
There is one thing I would praise to the skies in this book and that is the lovely end to each chapter. Tutu writes a beautiful prayerful reflection as if God is speaking to us. They are powerful and poetic and redeem the book, if not totally then certainly they go a small way to doing so.
Bono 'Our boss and his daughter remind us.......'
Thich Nhat Hanh 'Thank you Archbishop Tutu for helping u come back home to our true nature
Mary Robinson 'Desmond Tutu has walked the talk all his life
Four bits of inane rubbish on the flyleaf of my copy of this book; they are cliché ridden and say nothing of any significance. This unfortunately is how this book comes across too. I have nothing but admiration for Archbishop Tutu as a man of courage, insight and nobility but as an inspiring spiritual writer I am afraid he comes way down the line.
He and his daughter co write this book......well no they don't. Tutu writes and every now and again he throws in an example of some inane bit of wet 'theology' from his daughter. Why I have no idea. Her contributions are miniscule and add nothing to the whole, which is not that good to start with. Sorry but this was extraordinarily unimpressive. Really sad because who doesn't want to love everything Tutu says and does but it would not be honest for me to say anything other than 'bland, bland, bland'.
Part of the big problem of the book is Tutu is simply churning out paragraphs of cliché ridden waffle which I, as a believing and praying Christian can fully accept and see because I have an experience that backs it up but so much of his 'preaching' bears no reality to the majority of people's lives, makes no attempt to make inroads of discussion or explanation to those who do not share his experience. Now to be fair that might not be his intention anyway but the gushing claptrap of the flyleaf contributors presents this book as the one to transform the world......well it won't.
eg. 'Goodness is not the coin from which we anxiously pay for God's love. Our goodness is rather the recognition we offer and the thanks we return for the gifts and the love already given us. Rather than a request for something yet to come, it is a response to the abundance of gifts that have already been given and received'
This I can accept and rejoice in but that is because I have an experience, no matter how imperfect, of a loving God. Tutu makes no effort to reach out to anyone other than believers. He talks religious speak and waffles prettily about beauty and goodness but in an artificial and pointless way.
At another time he visits prisoners and tells them ' God has no one more beautiful than you'. This is pious claptrap. Murders, child abusers, rapists.....all of these may well have the capacity for beauty and they are certainly loved by God but they are not beautiful now. The unconditional love of God is unconditional; in other words, whether I am beautiful or not He loves me. To sweep away people's cruelty and wickedness and cloak them in the pious rubbish of 'all of you are beautiful' is to betray the challenge of our call to live lives of goodness and kindness.
There is one thing I would praise to the skies in this book and that is the lovely end to each chapter. Tutu writes a beautiful prayerful reflection as if God is speaking to us. They are powerful and poetic and redeem the book, if not totally then certainly they go a small way to doing so.
May 29, 2011
Never has a book, besides the bible, made me want to break out every quote, every passage, every sentence to put on a note to remember, just why we are here on this earth. I'm only on chapter 3, and already I can tell just what an amazing book and author(s) this is. I want to savor every suculent, sacred word written. Soak it in, like holy water. I'm slowing down my reading of this, as I would poetry, so I can enjoy and relish how great God is, and how he works in our lives, if we choose to believe or not.
May 15, 2010
"God holds out an invitation to us - an invitation to turn away from the anxious striving that has turned stress into a status symbol."
Love this book, and it came at just the right time for me. Desmond Tutu and his daughter Mpho write that we humans are designed for goodness, that we can stop trying so hard to "be good" because at our core we already are good. We can live joyfully in the knowledge that we are loved unconditionally, choosing to do right not to convince God to let us into heaven, but because pleasing the One who loves us so dearly is the path to happiness. The Tutus are Anglican priests but write broadly to include all faiths.
The section on "zoning out" struck home:
"'Zoning out' - an activity usually accomplished with the aid of a television set - does not reinvigorate us....We 'zone out' though we want to rest. But we are afraid to really rest because we are supposed to be doing something..... 'I am busy, tired, and stressed, so I am entitled to a respite. I will zone out in front of the television.' And we continue to be tired, busy, and stressed." I'm not against watching tv, but goodness knows how often I let my brain turn to mush watching some pointless show and find that even though my body is relaxing, my brain hasn't unwound, and I'm as frazzled as ever once the screen is shut off.
Love this book, and it came at just the right time for me. Desmond Tutu and his daughter Mpho write that we humans are designed for goodness, that we can stop trying so hard to "be good" because at our core we already are good. We can live joyfully in the knowledge that we are loved unconditionally, choosing to do right not to convince God to let us into heaven, but because pleasing the One who loves us so dearly is the path to happiness. The Tutus are Anglican priests but write broadly to include all faiths.
The section on "zoning out" struck home:
"'Zoning out' - an activity usually accomplished with the aid of a television set - does not reinvigorate us....We 'zone out' though we want to rest. But we are afraid to really rest because we are supposed to be doing something..... 'I am busy, tired, and stressed, so I am entitled to a respite. I will zone out in front of the television.' And we continue to be tired, busy, and stressed." I'm not against watching tv, but goodness knows how often I let my brain turn to mush watching some pointless show and find that even though my body is relaxing, my brain hasn't unwound, and I'm as frazzled as ever once the screen is shut off.
May 18, 2012
If you are tired of all the negativity of today, the Bible-thumping preachers haranguing about the evils of men, and feeling hopeless, this is the book for you. I guarantee you will think a lot about your beliefs, how you might react to the negativity of others, and what exactly you should do to make the world a better place. It is full of love and affirmation.
I'm not normally one to read for inspiration and I'm not sure why. Almost every time some well-meaning friend recommends a book for my edification I don't like it. However, I really liked this one. I have not read Tutu before in book form only the occasional sermon or quotation. This was not too heavy, but more life-affirming, and actually quite a good read. Also it is a book to make you think about your attitudes, your beliefs, and how you interact with others.
My friend Paula has read much Tutu and has gone to see him in person. She is much wiser than I am and I will be giving her a copy of this for her birthday and thanking her for encouraging me to read his work.
I'm not normally one to read for inspiration and I'm not sure why. Almost every time some well-meaning friend recommends a book for my edification I don't like it. However, I really liked this one. I have not read Tutu before in book form only the occasional sermon or quotation. This was not too heavy, but more life-affirming, and actually quite a good read. Also it is a book to make you think about your attitudes, your beliefs, and how you interact with others.
My friend Paula has read much Tutu and has gone to see him in person. She is much wiser than I am and I will be giving her a copy of this for her birthday and thanking her for encouraging me to read his work.
August 14, 2010
Who knows more about goodness than Desmond Tutu? We are all made for goodness, yet how many of us are taught how to practice it? What it really means, in difficult situations? Goodness is a skill, like singing. It doesn't come to you--you practice it, learn its properties, create conditions for goodness to do its work. Give it time to flower. Learn to see it, to work with it, to recognize it. Tutu and Mpho write eloquently about what they know of goodness, its power, and how to use it well. This is really important.
September 19, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a breath of fresh air--so optimistic and hopeful. I would like Glenn Beck and the Fox News crews to read it--seriously. Desmond Tutu and daughter Mpho (both priests) share stories of all the goodness in the world they have seen while much of their lives was spent watching and living the horrors of apartheid in South Africa. There are a lot of little gems in this book--good stories about loving others, forgiveness, accepting ourselves, seeing ourselves and others as god sees us, etc.
December 22, 2011
Everyone should take a peek in this one. Tutu is a radicalist, an extremist, a contrarian, but in the best ways possible. This book is hard to swallow and hard to deny. For once, a contrarian who isn't trying to convince you how bad everything is and how bad you are.
January 20, 2022
This book it is indeed a great gift to the world, i wish everyone could read it.
January 31, 2011
This small book has many excellent points and reminders. And if you feel God has abandoned you, the writings from God's veiwpoint will touch your heart. Perhaps the most interesting chapter for me was "Where Is God When We Suffer?" I had never considered that if God took an active role in our lives everytime we asked for something, the result would be chaos. Plus, as the book explains, we all think God should be on our side personally. How would we feel if God helped someone else and not us? Many negative feelings would be the result. (Which is not to say God doesn't help us or support us - you'll need to read the book to understand the whole explanation.) It was an interesting theory, and one I will be thinking about for some time to come. But if you need words of comfort right now, or are looking for some answers, I'd definitely recommend this book. If Desmond Tutu could live through everything he's experienced and still be such a positive person, his words are worth considering by those of us who struggle daily with big and small issues.
July 25, 2010
Interesting read and optimistic view of people refreshing, as opposed to the often religious view of man's depravity. Amazing to be the view of one who has so much cruelty.
November 12, 2015
This is a sweet book that reminds of us our divinity and purpose and goodness. We were created by God, in His image, and we are “very good.” We don’t have to prove our goodness, we just need to remember who we are. God loves us. He waits for us. He searches after us. But we are free to choose. I particularly appreciated the words about the importance of prayer and relying on God – seeking His will. With so much evil and with so many other distractions in life and the world it is nice to be reminded of the importance of being still, listening for God’s voice, and remembering that we are ultimately good. The message brings hope and purpose.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"We are fundamentally good. When you come to think of it, that's who we are at our core....You can see from the people we truly admire that we are attracted to goodness (p. 5)."
"Evil cannot have the last word because we are programmed--no, hard-wired--for goodness. Yes, goodness can be enlightened self-interest. Kindness builds goodwill. Generosity invites reciprocation. But even if there were absolutely no material benefit to being kind, you can't counterfeit the warm glow that you have inside when you have been kind. You just can't! That glow is something you relish because that's how we've been created....Goodness is not just our impulse. It is our essence (p. 6)."
"Goodness changes the way we see the world, the way we see others, and, most importantly, we way we see ourselves. The way we see ourselves matters. It affects how we treat people. It affects the quality of life for each and all of us. What is the quality of life on our planet? It is nothing more than the sum total of our daily interactions. Each kindness enhances the quality of life. Each cruelty diminishes it (p. 7)."
"Ultimately, what stirs us most deeply is what is life giving. What is soul stirring, what is life giving, is of God. We are made for God, who is the giver of life. We are made by God, who holds us in life (p. 13)."
"God does not love us because we are lovable. We are lovable precisely because God loves us (p. 21)."
"Our perfection is the price we imagine we must pay for the love of God. So we strive endlessly to 'be good' or to 'do good' instead of realizing that we are good (p. 23)."
"Perfect love is not an emotion; it is not how we feel. It is what we do. Perfect love is action that is not wrapped up in self-regard, and it has not concern with deserving. Instead, perfect love is love poured out. It is self-offering made out of the joy of giving. It requires no prompting. It seeks no response and no reward (p. 25)."
“A hug is such an ordinary gesture….The ordinary gift of a cuddle stands as witness to goodness (p. 35).”
“God’s call to be perfect is not just a command—it is an invitation. It is an invitation to something possible. It is an invitation to something life-giving, to something joy-creating. God invites us to a godly perfection. Godly perfection is not flawlessness. Godly perfection is wholeness (p. 43).”
“God’s invitation to wholeness always includes more than ourselves (p. 47).”
“A life of wholeness can accept flaws and vulnerabilities as doors to relationship (p. 49).”
“God is not willing to do anything to infringe upon our freedom (p. 69).”
“Life is more than breath and a heartbeat; meaning and purpose are the life of life. When we recognize that our lives have meaning beyond our cares and comforts, we tap the source of true joy (p. 75).”
“Because I treasure the friendship with God that has developed in those times of prayer, the habit of choosing right has been reinforced (p. 78).”
“When we are well acquainted with our gifts and our deficits, we know the challenges to goodness that require our extra vigilance….Choosing what is good and right is not intended to be a solitary journey. We can look to God to support our choices. We can look to friends or other guides to help us along the way (p. 79).”
“My precious child,
I will call you to account for nothing more than I have asked of you.
Just be faithful to the task I have set before you.
Whether you succeed or not is not matter to me.
Live as you hear me speak to you.
Live the truth you learn from me.
Then it doesn’t matter how the road may turn.
The goodness you live will set you free (p. 81).”
“And old man, a villager, stood up to pray, ‘God, we know you are with us. We thank you for loving us.’ His words surprised me. Where was the evidence of God’s presence? What did God’s love matter against the grim inevitability of the bulldozers and the apartheid machine (p. 100)?”
“Even in his rush to heal one man’s daughter, didn’t Jesus pause to heal and hear another person in need (p. 113)?”
“We learned, in that time, how little we knew and how heavily we had to lean on the grace of God (p. 113).”
“The measure by which we judge success or failure is not God’s yardstick. In fact, success and failure are often more a testament to our own arrogance. We think we know what our lives are meant to be. We believe we know how God must use us. We have the plan. When our plan doesn’t work, we are devastated….What might our lives feel like if we didn’t march through them with a scorecard, keeping a tally of our failures and successes? How would it be to stop pretending omniscience (p. 120)?”
“God is not waiting to clobber us. In fact, just the opposite is true. God reaches out to us while we are wrapped in wrong! God takes the initiative. God does take the initiative in everything. In the relationship between God and humanity, God chose us. God chose us before we were there, before the foundation of the world. God said, ‘You are going to be mine.’ There is never a time when God says, ‘I will wait; I will hold back my affection until you are more deserving (p. 131-132).’”
“When we really grasp the truth of God’s unconditional love, it can leave us breathless (p. 132).”
”God waits. God waits for the minutest sign of repentance. God waits for the smallest inkling that we are turning toward God. But the God of the prodigal parable does wait. As we have seen, the message in that story is God’s reverence for human autonomy. The parable of the lost sheep is different. In that story God goes out after the lost sheep….God pursues the beloved who has gone astray. God leaves the saints to go in search of the sinner (p. 133).”
“We may learn from the practice of forgiving others how to forgive ourselves. Or we may extend the same forgiveness we offer ourselves to other people….The better we are able to forgive ourselves for our faults and failings, the better we are able to forgive others. The more we forgive others for their sins and shortcomings, the more we learn to forgive ourselves (p. 151).”
“Just ‘being,’ not ‘doing,’ is a real challenge to most of us. We have such busy, active lives. We pride ourselves on the length of our ‘to do’ lists. We cram noise and activity into every waking minute. Even when our mouths are silent, our minds are busy with their own incessant chatter. Inside our heads we supply a running commentary on everything we see, feel, think, and experience. Prayer puts us in a receptive mode. As we still ourselves and let our yammering thoughts recede into the background, we can begin to hear the voice of God that has been speaking softly beneath the din of our demands (p. 160-161).”
“In the same way that we ready our children for sleep by using rituals that shut down the distractions of the day, small rituals can prepare our minds for prayer. Choosing and using a prayer place can be one such ritual…..the second ritual step, selecting a time, becomes all the more important. Choose a time when you are unlikely to be interrupted (p. 161-162).”
“The early Christian epistle writer Paul says in his letter to the Romans, ‘We do not know how to pray as we ought,’ but he goes on to assure his readers that ‘the Spirit helps us in our weakness….and intercedes with sighs too deep for words.’ So even though we are probably not doing it ‘right’ when we pray, we are doing it well enough (p. 166).”
“Prayer is how we communicate with God, and how God communicates with us. Communication is a skill. It must be cultivated and practiced. After more than half a century of happy marriage I can say, without fear of contradiction, that I am still learning how to communicate with my wife. In our life together there is so much that goes unspoken, so much that is open to interpretation—and misinterpretation…..As the years have progressed, our mutual understanding has been deepened by love and shared history. There are conversations we no longer need to have (p. 167).”
“The challenge of distinguishing the voice of God from all the voices that vie for our attention is not unique to our time….The sheep could distinguish among the voices of all the shepherds, and they would follow the sound of their shepherd’s voice. Our times of prayer are the times when we learn the guiding voice of goodness, our shepherd’s voice. In our daily lives, when the stillness has fled and the fullness of life has rushed back in on us, we will still be able to discern the voice that calls us to our best selves from among the many voices that compete for our attention (p. 175).”
“Our noisy passions are like an unruly kindergarten class. Each hope, fear, ambition, dream, and desire tries to shout louder than the others to make itself heard. The voice of God guides like a gifted teacher. The experienced teacher does not address the class with a booming voice to be heard above the din. He speaks quietly and calmly, a steady current beneath the noise….We can continue to react to the insistent demands of our unruly passions and remain tone-deaf to God. Or we can use the practice of prayer to help us hear, ever more perfectly, the guidance that God offers. God is our constant companion. God can help us to choose, from among the plethora of paths that are spread out before us, the one that leads to flourishing. The guide who becomes known to us in prayer steadies us when we stumble and cradles us when we fall (p. 177).”
“Do you have any idea how precious you are to God (p. 184)?”
“We are created for God’s joy….Jesus Christ is our hope for complete wholeness, for healing that is salvation (p. 198).”
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"We are fundamentally good. When you come to think of it, that's who we are at our core....You can see from the people we truly admire that we are attracted to goodness (p. 5)."
"Evil cannot have the last word because we are programmed--no, hard-wired--for goodness. Yes, goodness can be enlightened self-interest. Kindness builds goodwill. Generosity invites reciprocation. But even if there were absolutely no material benefit to being kind, you can't counterfeit the warm glow that you have inside when you have been kind. You just can't! That glow is something you relish because that's how we've been created....Goodness is not just our impulse. It is our essence (p. 6)."
"Goodness changes the way we see the world, the way we see others, and, most importantly, we way we see ourselves. The way we see ourselves matters. It affects how we treat people. It affects the quality of life for each and all of us. What is the quality of life on our planet? It is nothing more than the sum total of our daily interactions. Each kindness enhances the quality of life. Each cruelty diminishes it (p. 7)."
"Ultimately, what stirs us most deeply is what is life giving. What is soul stirring, what is life giving, is of God. We are made for God, who is the giver of life. We are made by God, who holds us in life (p. 13)."
"God does not love us because we are lovable. We are lovable precisely because God loves us (p. 21)."
"Our perfection is the price we imagine we must pay for the love of God. So we strive endlessly to 'be good' or to 'do good' instead of realizing that we are good (p. 23)."
"Perfect love is not an emotion; it is not how we feel. It is what we do. Perfect love is action that is not wrapped up in self-regard, and it has not concern with deserving. Instead, perfect love is love poured out. It is self-offering made out of the joy of giving. It requires no prompting. It seeks no response and no reward (p. 25)."
“A hug is such an ordinary gesture….The ordinary gift of a cuddle stands as witness to goodness (p. 35).”
“God’s call to be perfect is not just a command—it is an invitation. It is an invitation to something possible. It is an invitation to something life-giving, to something joy-creating. God invites us to a godly perfection. Godly perfection is not flawlessness. Godly perfection is wholeness (p. 43).”
“God’s invitation to wholeness always includes more than ourselves (p. 47).”
“A life of wholeness can accept flaws and vulnerabilities as doors to relationship (p. 49).”
“God is not willing to do anything to infringe upon our freedom (p. 69).”
“Life is more than breath and a heartbeat; meaning and purpose are the life of life. When we recognize that our lives have meaning beyond our cares and comforts, we tap the source of true joy (p. 75).”
“Because I treasure the friendship with God that has developed in those times of prayer, the habit of choosing right has been reinforced (p. 78).”
“When we are well acquainted with our gifts and our deficits, we know the challenges to goodness that require our extra vigilance….Choosing what is good and right is not intended to be a solitary journey. We can look to God to support our choices. We can look to friends or other guides to help us along the way (p. 79).”
“My precious child,
I will call you to account for nothing more than I have asked of you.
Just be faithful to the task I have set before you.
Whether you succeed or not is not matter to me.
Live as you hear me speak to you.
Live the truth you learn from me.
Then it doesn’t matter how the road may turn.
The goodness you live will set you free (p. 81).”
“And old man, a villager, stood up to pray, ‘God, we know you are with us. We thank you for loving us.’ His words surprised me. Where was the evidence of God’s presence? What did God’s love matter against the grim inevitability of the bulldozers and the apartheid machine (p. 100)?”
“Even in his rush to heal one man’s daughter, didn’t Jesus pause to heal and hear another person in need (p. 113)?”
“We learned, in that time, how little we knew and how heavily we had to lean on the grace of God (p. 113).”
“The measure by which we judge success or failure is not God’s yardstick. In fact, success and failure are often more a testament to our own arrogance. We think we know what our lives are meant to be. We believe we know how God must use us. We have the plan. When our plan doesn’t work, we are devastated….What might our lives feel like if we didn’t march through them with a scorecard, keeping a tally of our failures and successes? How would it be to stop pretending omniscience (p. 120)?”
“God is not waiting to clobber us. In fact, just the opposite is true. God reaches out to us while we are wrapped in wrong! God takes the initiative. God does take the initiative in everything. In the relationship between God and humanity, God chose us. God chose us before we were there, before the foundation of the world. God said, ‘You are going to be mine.’ There is never a time when God says, ‘I will wait; I will hold back my affection until you are more deserving (p. 131-132).’”
“When we really grasp the truth of God’s unconditional love, it can leave us breathless (p. 132).”
”God waits. God waits for the minutest sign of repentance. God waits for the smallest inkling that we are turning toward God. But the God of the prodigal parable does wait. As we have seen, the message in that story is God’s reverence for human autonomy. The parable of the lost sheep is different. In that story God goes out after the lost sheep….God pursues the beloved who has gone astray. God leaves the saints to go in search of the sinner (p. 133).”
“We may learn from the practice of forgiving others how to forgive ourselves. Or we may extend the same forgiveness we offer ourselves to other people….The better we are able to forgive ourselves for our faults and failings, the better we are able to forgive others. The more we forgive others for their sins and shortcomings, the more we learn to forgive ourselves (p. 151).”
“Just ‘being,’ not ‘doing,’ is a real challenge to most of us. We have such busy, active lives. We pride ourselves on the length of our ‘to do’ lists. We cram noise and activity into every waking minute. Even when our mouths are silent, our minds are busy with their own incessant chatter. Inside our heads we supply a running commentary on everything we see, feel, think, and experience. Prayer puts us in a receptive mode. As we still ourselves and let our yammering thoughts recede into the background, we can begin to hear the voice of God that has been speaking softly beneath the din of our demands (p. 160-161).”
“In the same way that we ready our children for sleep by using rituals that shut down the distractions of the day, small rituals can prepare our minds for prayer. Choosing and using a prayer place can be one such ritual…..the second ritual step, selecting a time, becomes all the more important. Choose a time when you are unlikely to be interrupted (p. 161-162).”
“The early Christian epistle writer Paul says in his letter to the Romans, ‘We do not know how to pray as we ought,’ but he goes on to assure his readers that ‘the Spirit helps us in our weakness….and intercedes with sighs too deep for words.’ So even though we are probably not doing it ‘right’ when we pray, we are doing it well enough (p. 166).”
“Prayer is how we communicate with God, and how God communicates with us. Communication is a skill. It must be cultivated and practiced. After more than half a century of happy marriage I can say, without fear of contradiction, that I am still learning how to communicate with my wife. In our life together there is so much that goes unspoken, so much that is open to interpretation—and misinterpretation…..As the years have progressed, our mutual understanding has been deepened by love and shared history. There are conversations we no longer need to have (p. 167).”
“The challenge of distinguishing the voice of God from all the voices that vie for our attention is not unique to our time….The sheep could distinguish among the voices of all the shepherds, and they would follow the sound of their shepherd’s voice. Our times of prayer are the times when we learn the guiding voice of goodness, our shepherd’s voice. In our daily lives, when the stillness has fled and the fullness of life has rushed back in on us, we will still be able to discern the voice that calls us to our best selves from among the many voices that compete for our attention (p. 175).”
“Our noisy passions are like an unruly kindergarten class. Each hope, fear, ambition, dream, and desire tries to shout louder than the others to make itself heard. The voice of God guides like a gifted teacher. The experienced teacher does not address the class with a booming voice to be heard above the din. He speaks quietly and calmly, a steady current beneath the noise….We can continue to react to the insistent demands of our unruly passions and remain tone-deaf to God. Or we can use the practice of prayer to help us hear, ever more perfectly, the guidance that God offers. God is our constant companion. God can help us to choose, from among the plethora of paths that are spread out before us, the one that leads to flourishing. The guide who becomes known to us in prayer steadies us when we stumble and cradles us when we fall (p. 177).”
“Do you have any idea how precious you are to God (p. 184)?”
“We are created for God’s joy….Jesus Christ is our hope for complete wholeness, for healing that is salvation (p. 198).”
October 29, 2022
Stories of apartheid are overwhelming and this collection of essays from Desmond Tutu is no exception. Tutu's experiences are fertile ground for reflections on forgiveness and prayer. The thesis throughout is Tutu's argument for the goodness of creation. Some Christians may bristle in opposition, citing the doctrine of total depravity. It feels like Tutu is not rebutting this doctrine, and rather approaching it with another lens. Tutu might agree all human faculties are necessarily susceptible to sin. It seems he is also suggesting, notwithstanding, that it is human nature to be pulled toward goodness in those same moments. Which is to say we all still feel the temptation of sin. Tutu seems to suggest an underpinning which is about our simultaneous "knowing" when we engage in sin. Tutu notes faculties like conscience and our capacity for forgiveness as evidence of our inherit goodness. Part of the reframe, is the way Tutu represents our wholeness. Wholeness is not in opposition to sin- it's a distinct concept. It is a full loop on sin with repentance and forgiveness that brings us right back to goodness.
May 19, 2022
Bishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Pastor Mpho Tutu have compiled beautiful and sometimes terrible memories, stories, memoirs, thoughts, and poems in an amazing testament to their steadfast faith in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
It is difficult to read some of the things Bishop and Pastor Tutu share that they’ve experienced personally or seen or heard of others experiencing. Without those revelations, however, their faith in God and how they relate it in this book would not be nearly as miraculous.
This book’s overall theme is we are all created in God’s image and, as such, are inherently good at the start. If we are feeling or doing negative things (or see someone else feeling or doing negative things), we need to get the person feeling/doing negative things to a quiet place where they can quiet their mind so they are open to God’s voice. That is when they can begin to heal.
It is difficult to read some of the things Bishop and Pastor Tutu share that they’ve experienced personally or seen or heard of others experiencing. Without those revelations, however, their faith in God and how they relate it in this book would not be nearly as miraculous.
This book’s overall theme is we are all created in God’s image and, as such, are inherently good at the start. If we are feeling or doing negative things (or see someone else feeling or doing negative things), we need to get the person feeling/doing negative things to a quiet place where they can quiet their mind so they are open to God’s voice. That is when they can begin to heal.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2026
Each chapter shines with a positiveness lit in the crucible of South Africa’s struggle with apartheid, and closes with an invitation to be still and “listen to God speak with the voice of the heart.” The authors affirm the importance of Goodness, and how we need to recover our basic, God-endowed Goodness. Absolutely stellar …
April 24, 2012
The tone of this book is didactic to the extreme. It's painfully obvious that the author is an Anglican archbishop. It reads like a sermon, complete with constant repetitions of the points at hand, rather than elaborations that are more appropriate in writing. In my mind, it also takes a certain degree of arrogance to deem oneself worthy of putting words in God's mouth, and I found that off-putting. He writes with the confidence of a master of his subject, and to me, claiming mastery over spiritual subjects makes me wary. Overconfidence overrides essential tenets such as humility and open-mindedness.
All of that being said, I could not question any of Tutu's wisdom. The truths he reveals through certain logical patterns and experiences, not only despite of the trauma he's seen, but in fact because of it, are too real for me to deny.
So even though I did not enjoy being lectured at, I'm sure he's right. We are inherently good, and fear is what takes that away from us. We never have to make excuses for goodness, and all the wrong humanity does needs to be rationalized and excused. He's right. And that's a good thing that speaks to me on a personal level.
All of that being said, I could not question any of Tutu's wisdom. The truths he reveals through certain logical patterns and experiences, not only despite of the trauma he's seen, but in fact because of it, are too real for me to deny.
So even though I did not enjoy being lectured at, I'm sure he's right. We are inherently good, and fear is what takes that away from us. We never have to make excuses for goodness, and all the wrong humanity does needs to be rationalized and excused. He's right. And that's a good thing that speaks to me on a personal level.
March 23, 2010
I loved this book. The message: we are inherently good in the eyes of God. So, we don't have to prove - or earn - our "goodness." Instead, we should live FROM that goodness.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu & his daughter Mpho Tutu write,
"Goodness is not the coin with which we anxiously pay for God's love. Our goodness is, rather, the recongition we offer and the thanks we return for the gifts and the love already given us... It is on our makeup that, having been given, we want to give back... I know that the space is very small between, "I am doing it in response to love" and "I am doing it to be loved." But in that space resides the difference between a joy-filled peace and and anxious despair. In short, we don't have to "act" like a holy man or woman. We need to simply live out the joy and generousity of our goodness."
He writes about Apartied and the challenges he"s faced - and mistakes he's made along the way. It's a beautiful and moving book.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu & his daughter Mpho Tutu write,
"Goodness is not the coin with which we anxiously pay for God's love. Our goodness is, rather, the recongition we offer and the thanks we return for the gifts and the love already given us... It is on our makeup that, having been given, we want to give back... I know that the space is very small between, "I am doing it in response to love" and "I am doing it to be loved." But in that space resides the difference between a joy-filled peace and and anxious despair. In short, we don't have to "act" like a holy man or woman. We need to simply live out the joy and generousity of our goodness."
He writes about Apartied and the challenges he"s faced - and mistakes he's made along the way. It's a beautiful and moving book.
December 22, 2010
Desmond Tutu is known for promoting peace throughout the world and he has lived through apartheid-stricken South Africa. What better authority could there be to help us regular folk see the goodness in others? If Tutu can find goodness in some of the most heinous people, he can help the average person forgive people who do us harm regularly and either consciously or unconsciously.
Tutu makes arguments of why God allows sin to exist and how people have free will to choose their own paths in life. He also offers some techniques of how to find some peace and stillness in one's own life. I especially enjoyed the personal stories that Tutu shares throughout the book. He relates some very touching and painful experiences that he learned to live through, and in some cases, took some time to find a way to forgive himself from his short-comings. It's nice to know that everyone makes mistakes and that there is always chance for redemption and hope, even when life seems bleak.
Tutu makes arguments of why God allows sin to exist and how people have free will to choose their own paths in life. He also offers some techniques of how to find some peace and stillness in one's own life. I especially enjoyed the personal stories that Tutu shares throughout the book. He relates some very touching and painful experiences that he learned to live through, and in some cases, took some time to find a way to forgive himself from his short-comings. It's nice to know that everyone makes mistakes and that there is always chance for redemption and hope, even when life seems bleak.
March 30, 2014
Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes All the Difference is an extraordinary and inspiring account by Archbishop Tutu & Mpho Tutu. This book creates a much needed dialogue about God's love, compassion, and our interconnectedness with each other. I love when Tutu proclaims, "my humanity is bound up with your humanity." I believe when we realize that our humanity is interconnected with others, we make a conscious choice to realize that all of our actions either have a positive or negative impact on other people. It's more difficult to treat people poorly, oppress them, or treat them unjustly when we recognize this interconnectedness. Also, I believe that when we think of other human beings as being good because they are created in God's image, it is difficult to be indifferent to their suffering. Next, I recommended this book to anyone of any faith. There is something to be enjoyed by all.
September 2, 2010
"God holds out an invitation to us - an invitation to turn away from the anxious striving that has turned stress into a status symbol."
In the prolouge to this book, the authors very clearly mention that one way to "be" what we are made for is to just simply BE. That to cure this sickness of TRYING to be good, we need to give up stress as a status symbol in our society and simply BE. This is reiterated through different themes; and I was happy to hear it. I think this is a reminder I needed. Goodness IS our nature.
This book is full of interesting examples from Desmond Tutu and his daughters life, referring to the Bible and providing (long, but) meaningful prayer guidance throughout. Happy I finished this on a Sunday, felt appropriate.
In the prolouge to this book, the authors very clearly mention that one way to "be" what we are made for is to just simply BE. That to cure this sickness of TRYING to be good, we need to give up stress as a status symbol in our society and simply BE. This is reiterated through different themes; and I was happy to hear it. I think this is a reminder I needed. Goodness IS our nature.
This book is full of interesting examples from Desmond Tutu and his daughters life, referring to the Bible and providing (long, but) meaningful prayer guidance throughout. Happy I finished this on a Sunday, felt appropriate.
July 28, 2011
Sure, this book may not be flawlessly written, but it is still deserving of five stars. ALthough Archbishop Tutu and I may disagree on some minor, doctrinal points, I can't help but agree 100% with the premise of this book. Archbishop Tutu and his daughter have created a book that makes one believe in the goodness in all of us. It is impossible to read this book and not feel inspired to try a little bit harder to show love for God by showing love to all of his children and creations. Even for my friends who do not believe in God, seeing the goodness of a person who has lived their lives as Desmond Tutu has, makes one want to try a little harder to make this world a better place.
December 13, 2011
Made for Goodness provided just the encouragement I needed this month. Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu invite us to “let go of the illusion of our own omniscience, let go of the accomplishment tally, and live a surrendered life.” I highly recommend this book, full of reminders and helpful insights on living with God-consciousness. Both authors are priests in the Anglican tradition, but this book is suitable for readers of all faith traditions.
Read my full review on my blog light to read by.
Read my full review on my blog light to read by.
December 5, 2014
Desmond Tutu and his daughter explain their hope in humanity. Despite seeing the horror of sin, hatred and violence first hand in apartheid South Africa, these two remind the reader that individuals are already loved and accepted by God.
Why I started this book: It was the shortest book left on my list for this year.
Why I finished it: It's nice to be reminded that we need to spend more time "being" good than "doing" good. I wrote down several quotes that I will be pondering this weekend.
Why I started this book: It was the shortest book left on my list for this year.
Why I finished it: It's nice to be reminded that we need to spend more time "being" good than "doing" good. I wrote down several quotes that I will be pondering this weekend.
Read
January 30, 2023Earlier this spring, I was fortunate enough to go to Baltimore for the International Conference of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Our keynote speaker was Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the excitement among the 3,000+ fundraisers in attendance was palpable. He's the type of person who makes you feel like you're in the presence of God.
His speech was, as we expected, incredibly inspiring. Among the oft-tweeted lines that he said to a room full of fundraisers - a tough profession to be in during a recession - was that our jobs involve making the world a better place.
"Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey ..." he nearly whispered into the microphone, enunciating syllables like Sinatra. "You have ... a noble profession. You have a calling. You have a vocation." Gave many of us goosebumps.
His speech was also downright hilarious, which we did not expect. I'm telling you, the guy brought down the house and had us roaring with laughter.
Because of the atrocities that Archbishop Tutu has witnessed, you wouldn't expect him to be so funny. You would expect him to be full of wisdom and perhaps, some comfort. That's what Made for Goodness and Why This Makes All the Difference is.
A few days before the conference, I happened to see his new book (written with his daughter, Mpho) on the New Books shelf at the library. I brought it along with me to the conference, but didn't get to it until a few weeks ago. (Thank goodness for multiple renewals.)
The premise of the book is the same as the title: that we are all made to be good, that we all have a desire to strive toward goodness and to live our lives to be good. It's easy to be cynical about that, but I think there's something to be said if Archbishop Tutu, who has lived through some truly horrific experiences during South Africa's years of apartheid, can find that goodness in others. (In his speech to us at our international conference, he thanked the international community for ending apartheid.) Maybe the man knows something we don't.
In Made for Goodness, Archbishop Tutu weaves his personal experiences of sitting at the front row of history and his daughter's experiences as a young mother together with the Biblical stories of the prodigal son and Adam and Eve. He ends each chapter with a Scripture and draws on Bible verses and passages throughout the book to illustrate his points. (I'm not an overly religious person, but this aspect of Made for Goodness didn't bother me at all.)
In a very conversational, reassuring style, Archbishop Tutu writes of his parents and his parishioners, the regrets he had and the questions he asked when he doubted his own capacity for goodness (similarly, in my view, to Rabbi Harold Kushner's When Bad Things Happen to Good People) and how he found peace.
"Anyone can make the decision to be more mindful of his words and deeds and of their effects. Anyone can choose to cultivate compassion. Anyone can commit herself to returning ever more speedily to the goodness that is her true home.
"In an extraordinary way, we can return to goodness more quickly when we have a clear vision of the present. That clarity about the present is rooted in making peace with the past. Putting words to our pain begins the process of building that peace. In speaking the truth of our pain, we start to collect the memories of what we have done or experienced. When we retell our stories we can be heard into healing. We can be heard back to wholeness, back to goodness, back home to ourselves." (pg. 147)
During the week that I read this, our community was gripped in fear by two random attacks by a serial rapist. (On two separate days in the same week, in broad daylight, a woman was attacked by a stranger as she sat in her car in a doctor's office parking lot. Another was attacked as she arrived for work in a corporate office parking lot.) It took two weeks for the sick bastard to be caught, and women were, understandably, nervous and on edge.
As I read Archbishop Tutu's words about forgiveness, I found myself thinking about the two victims (as I have frequently since the attacks) and wondering how one ever gets to a point of forgiving such a heinous crime.
"When we forgive, we reclaim the power to create .... We can create a new story of ourselves. When we find the strength to forgive, we are no longer victims. We are survivors.
"Forgiveness is not only a creative act; it is a liberating action. When we forgive the people who have harmed us, we liberate ourselves from the chains that bind us to our offender. We don't hold their offenses against them. And they exert no control over our moods, our disposition, or us. They have no further part in writing the story that we must tell of ourselves. Forgiveness liberates us. We are free." (pg. 150).
In his speech to us fundraisers in Baltimore, Archbishop Tutu was referring to the many deeply concerning economic, environmental, medical, and cultural issues affecting people around the globe when he paraphrased Martin Luther King Jr. in saying, "we must live together as brothers and sisters or perish together forever."
It's a concept found in Made for Goodness, too. We need to embrace the goodness within us and choose it for our professions and in all we do. We need to seek and embrace that in others through our acceptance of them, our compassion for them, and in our own time, our forgiveness of them and perhaps more importantly, ourselves, as incredibly difficult as that journey can often be.
His speech was, as we expected, incredibly inspiring. Among the oft-tweeted lines that he said to a room full of fundraisers - a tough profession to be in during a recession - was that our jobs involve making the world a better place.
"Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey ..." he nearly whispered into the microphone, enunciating syllables like Sinatra. "You have ... a noble profession. You have a calling. You have a vocation." Gave many of us goosebumps.
His speech was also downright hilarious, which we did not expect. I'm telling you, the guy brought down the house and had us roaring with laughter.
Because of the atrocities that Archbishop Tutu has witnessed, you wouldn't expect him to be so funny. You would expect him to be full of wisdom and perhaps, some comfort. That's what Made for Goodness and Why This Makes All the Difference is.
A few days before the conference, I happened to see his new book (written with his daughter, Mpho) on the New Books shelf at the library. I brought it along with me to the conference, but didn't get to it until a few weeks ago. (Thank goodness for multiple renewals.)
The premise of the book is the same as the title: that we are all made to be good, that we all have a desire to strive toward goodness and to live our lives to be good. It's easy to be cynical about that, but I think there's something to be said if Archbishop Tutu, who has lived through some truly horrific experiences during South Africa's years of apartheid, can find that goodness in others. (In his speech to us at our international conference, he thanked the international community for ending apartheid.) Maybe the man knows something we don't.
In Made for Goodness, Archbishop Tutu weaves his personal experiences of sitting at the front row of history and his daughter's experiences as a young mother together with the Biblical stories of the prodigal son and Adam and Eve. He ends each chapter with a Scripture and draws on Bible verses and passages throughout the book to illustrate his points. (I'm not an overly religious person, but this aspect of Made for Goodness didn't bother me at all.)
In a very conversational, reassuring style, Archbishop Tutu writes of his parents and his parishioners, the regrets he had and the questions he asked when he doubted his own capacity for goodness (similarly, in my view, to Rabbi Harold Kushner's When Bad Things Happen to Good People) and how he found peace.
"Anyone can make the decision to be more mindful of his words and deeds and of their effects. Anyone can choose to cultivate compassion. Anyone can commit herself to returning ever more speedily to the goodness that is her true home.
"In an extraordinary way, we can return to goodness more quickly when we have a clear vision of the present. That clarity about the present is rooted in making peace with the past. Putting words to our pain begins the process of building that peace. In speaking the truth of our pain, we start to collect the memories of what we have done or experienced. When we retell our stories we can be heard into healing. We can be heard back to wholeness, back to goodness, back home to ourselves." (pg. 147)
During the week that I read this, our community was gripped in fear by two random attacks by a serial rapist. (On two separate days in the same week, in broad daylight, a woman was attacked by a stranger as she sat in her car in a doctor's office parking lot. Another was attacked as she arrived for work in a corporate office parking lot.) It took two weeks for the sick bastard to be caught, and women were, understandably, nervous and on edge.
As I read Archbishop Tutu's words about forgiveness, I found myself thinking about the two victims (as I have frequently since the attacks) and wondering how one ever gets to a point of forgiving such a heinous crime.
"When we forgive, we reclaim the power to create .... We can create a new story of ourselves. When we find the strength to forgive, we are no longer victims. We are survivors.
"Forgiveness is not only a creative act; it is a liberating action. When we forgive the people who have harmed us, we liberate ourselves from the chains that bind us to our offender. We don't hold their offenses against them. And they exert no control over our moods, our disposition, or us. They have no further part in writing the story that we must tell of ourselves. Forgiveness liberates us. We are free." (pg. 150).
In his speech to us fundraisers in Baltimore, Archbishop Tutu was referring to the many deeply concerning economic, environmental, medical, and cultural issues affecting people around the globe when he paraphrased Martin Luther King Jr. in saying, "we must live together as brothers and sisters or perish together forever."
It's a concept found in Made for Goodness, too. We need to embrace the goodness within us and choose it for our professions and in all we do. We need to seek and embrace that in others through our acceptance of them, our compassion for them, and in our own time, our forgiveness of them and perhaps more importantly, ourselves, as incredibly difficult as that journey can often be.
December 13, 2010
this book was so inspiring. it's easy to take advice about forgiveness, being the bigger person, extending yourself in kindness, from someone who was able to live it during the horror of apartheid. it was very optimistic about the state of humanity. i also loved learning more about the challenges bishop tutu faced, and how he coped. this book was very restorative to my faith ... not necessarily christian or even religious, but just in life and in people. highly recommended!
December 4, 2010
I loved this book. It's so full of love and joy. It gives me the same sense of the love of God as Julian's Showings. In fact, I'm currently writing a short paper on these two. I feel like the book could have been more explicitly Christ-centered, but Tutu being a Nobel laureate and all, I guess he's keeping a wider audience in mind. Everything he talks about is based on Christ, but it usually isn't explicitly presented as such. Still worth the read though.
August 1, 2011
He's my hero so anything he writes, is great for me. This was written with his daughter. He tells us when we react to cruelty or sad events, it shows we are made for goodness, otherwise we wouldn't care. And that all of us need "time out" to listen to God and that "zoning out in front of the t.v." is not rest. I just love this man! I wish I could be more like him! But he assures us, no matter what, God loves us!
April 9, 2012
An interesting book. I liked the way different insights into the history of apartheid South Africa is used to illustrate the writers points. (BTW, I found it hard to discern when Mpho is the writer, Desmond tends to do all the 'talking'.) And the concept Made for Goodness - or as the Danish translation has it - Created for Goodness, is one I will take with me in my walk of life and in my view of my fellow creations.
April 1, 2015
Interesting book on goodness, forgiveness, evil and totalitarian regimes like the South African in the 60s through 90s. I found the historical tales from Desmond's earlier life most interesting and he's reflexions of how to suddenly work in a free society in London compared to the depressing situation in SA. The book may be cowritten by his daugther, but the book speaks with Desmond's voice 99 % of the time.
April 16, 2010
It is easy to see through these pages right into Desmond Tutu's remarkable gifted heart. Would that we all could grow to be so openly accepting and so loving. His words are warmly personal - I feel that should I ever meet him we'd 'pick up where we left off.' How fortunate for us that he also has the gift of words!
May 11, 2011
Tutu's wisdom is simple but profound. His stories are enlightening, and his optimism inspirational. The writing is the one major downside. It's not concise; the messages somehow just don't carry the impact they deserve. Also a warning: at first, Tutu seems to be directing the book towards believers and non-believers alike. But it doesn't last long -this is by all means a Christian book.
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