Saturday, June 21, 2014

EVIL

Most people - when asked if they've ever caused someone else suffering, will say, "Yes."  They don’t mean they've killed or assaulted anyone --- but they've caused suffering.

Haven't you?  

Ever come out of your mother’s womb?  I bet she didn’t on the one hand appreciate that very much.  Kinda smarted, I bet.

Ever caused a car accident?

Ever divorced anybody?  'Yeah, but that was mostly THEM, not me.’  I know you were practically Mother Teresa in that whole thing, but were any of your actions suffering-inducing?  I’m just asking.

Have you ever gossiped?  Would you put that in the category of causing others to suffer?  You should because it does.

Have you ever insulted someone or been sarcastic toward them?

Most of us would say “Yes” to some of that.  We've exercised our personal freedom at the expense of someone else.

As we ask: ‘God, why would You allow suffering?’  God says back:  ‘Let me ask you, “Has there been any suffering from your own hand?”’

In that we come face-to-face with the truth that maybe the problem of evil isn’t about God at all; maybe it's about us.  Maybe the line of good and evil doesn’t go between me and God - maybe it goes straight down the middle of me. 

We’ve always thought we were one of the goodies - but we've done essentially what Adam did in the Garden and said:  ‘I don’t care if this causes someone else to suffer; I’m having exactly what I want,’ so maybe we’re not innocent in this whole problem of evil.  Because I produce suffering.  Not all the time - not sadistically - not even always intentionally - but I do.

Yes, some people do worse things than others.  We could say we’re not as bad as the Nazis certainly, but the fundamental problem with the Nazis and Kevin Taylor and the drunk driver and the rapist and YOU are the same -- we’re prepared to put our happiness ahead of the suffering we might cause someone else.

The line of good and evil goes down the middle of us - and that's a huge point, isn’t it?

And be blessed.

2 comments:

Susie Milo said...

Yes. Completely on target and straight to the point. This actually is something I've been thinking about for a while now - analyzing my own actions especially in regard to the distance I'm feeling between myself and God lately. Excellent blog (as always)

Anonymous said...

It was once asked,"if a line was drawn..on one end was Jesus and the other was Adolf Hitler. Now I want you to place yourself somewhere on that line." Most people would think in their own minds, oh my gosh Hitler was horrifying and quickly place themselves close to Jesus. In reality compared to Jesus we would be placed next to Hitler and on the way opposite end would be the Lord Jesus. Sin IS in all of us and does run right through our core as you stated. Not one righteous, none...all in need of a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Look up to the tree and believe. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent, so the Son of Man was lifted up. Look up and believe.