There is a lot of fear in the world today.
Evil seems to be everywhere.
When bad things happen, I think we can respond in a couple of ways. The first is to glue ourselves to our TV’s and our computers, watching the bad news as it unfolds, becoming more upset, more discouraged, more angry, and more afraid. That’s usually what happens when I watch the news and read the articles that are posted all over the internet. I freak out. I get really anxious and worked up. I have trouble sleeping and I join in with the rage of people on my social media feeds.
I get stuck in the mindset that the world is a terrible place and there are bad guys everywhere. And that is so very true. There is evil in our neighborhoods, evil in our churches, evil in the schools our kids attend, evil in our workplaces, evil every single place that we go, and evil on the other side of the world. There will always be evil. For we all fall short of the glory of God.
But, there is also good everywhere. The world is a beautiful, wonderful, amazing place filled with good people doing great things. And that is also very true. There is good in our neighborhoods, good in our churches, good in the schools our kids attend, good in our workplaces, good every single place that we go, and good on the other side of the world. There will always be good. Because God, our Creator, is good.
And God has called us, His children, to be spreaders and sharers of Good.
Because good overcomes bad. Everyday, in every place, all the time, good fights evil. And wins.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
In the face of evil and tragedy, we can choose to turn off the news. We can stop reading the articles that infuriate us. We can stop worrying and freaking out about the terrible world we live in. We can stop focusing on the evil and the bad guys in the world and start focusing on the truth we hold dear to our hearts. The truth is that love wins.
We can fight back not with fear and anger and rage, but with love, with good, with hope, and with peace. We can choose not to be overcome by the evil that is in the world, but instead to overcome and conquer the evil around us with good. We can choose to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, and pray for those who mistreat us. (Luke 6:27-28)
I don’t have all the answers for how to overcome the evil terrorists that are destroying lives everyday.
I don’t know how to protect ourselves from the gunmen and bombers who seek to attack us in our homes, our schools, our churches, our theaters, our races, and our concert halls.
I don’t have a clue how to cure cancer and the other diseases that steal good people far too soon.
In my small world, I often wonder what I can do to fix the injustices of the world; things like world poverty, human trafficking, abused and neglected children, and racial profiling.
But I think it looks a little bit like starting right where I am, with what I have. I may not have much money. I may not have powerful influence. I may not know all the answers. But I do have love.
Love might look like raking your neighbors leaves, or making a meal for someone who’s recently lost their job.
It might look like babysitting a single mom’s kids for free while she takes a day to refresh herself.
Love could mean knitting a new scarf and a hat to give to the homeless girl who stands on the street corner near your home.
It may mean paying for the meal of the bully who yelled at you for taking too long in the drive thru line.
Love could involve writing an encouraging letter to the person you know who is working to overcome an addiction or other difficult life decision.
It might look like stepping into the poorest neighborhoods in your community and giving away bags of clothes and boxes of food that you have collected.
Better yet, love might look like sticking around and talking to the people in that community, listening to their stories, hearing their hurts, getting to know them as a person, not with an aim to try to “fix them”, but simply to hear them, to know them, and to love them as your neighbor.
Love might be giving generously to relief organizations that are fighting injustices far from your small world.
It might be choosing not to share that post on Facebook that is designed to ignite fear and hate, and choosing instead to promote an article that brings a message of hope and of love.
Love might look like welcoming the outcasts into your church with open arms or sitting with sinners and loving them just as they are.
It might look like noticing the lonely and forgotten, taking care of the battered and bruised, or caring for the sick.
There is a lot of fear in the world today.
Evil seems to be everywhere.
But I choose to be the good that will overcome the evil, a little more each day.
Will you join me?
What are you doing, today, in your small world, to overcome evil with good? Share in the comments to help inspire all of us, to respond with good when it feels like evil is everywhere.
. The unexpected has most certainly hijacked her life, over and over again. In this memoir, Michele opens up about her life story, discussing tragedy, heartbreak, sickness, hope, love, and life-altering decisions. Woven throughout the pages of this book is a picture of a strong faith that was tested and tried, refined by the fires of intensely difficult circumstances. This isn’t just a memoir to be read for entertainment, this is a story with life-changing messages. I’ve already read the book twice and I know it will be one that I thumb through regularly to ponder and learn again from all of the underlined and starred passages.
