Good and Evil

Wednesday 1/26/2011 3:10 AM

In his book Days of Grace Through the Year Lewis Smedes writes, “We would not hope for goodness if we did not know evil.  We would live in the illusion that the way things are is the way they are supposed to be.  And we would feel no need to hope that they could ever get to be the way they are supposed to be.”

When I taught at Valley Christian I had a warped view of the way the world was.  I assumed everyone had a life similar to mine, with a relatively healthy marriage and healthy family relationships.  I now know that such a life is very rare, with most people experiencing dysfunctional familial relationships or a family that has been ripped apart by divorce, addictive behaviors or both.  Smedes states that I would not hope for good if I didn’t know evil but I think it is also true that people would continue to live without hope if they never knew good.

The Bible says that those with a relationship with God are the light of the world.  We are to show the world the way it should and could be through the way we conduct our lives.  How disconcerting that divorce rates and addictions are just as prevalent in the Christian community as they are in society at large.  It is no wonder then that many live their lives without hope.  Romans 10:14 says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”  God understands that man’s deepest need is to love and to be loved.  Jesus came to show how we could live our lives to the fullest by loving God and loving others.  He then commissioned his followers to do the same.  Lord, help me to live in such a way that I am a beacon of hope rather than one who contributes to the darkness that is so prevalent in the world.