“It is easy to believe in goodness when good things are happening. When there is pain, horror, neglect or evil, it is profoundly more difficult. This belief of mine comes from a place of deep and absolute knowledge: life is goodness. Goodness rules.”
SARK; author, artist, incest survivor
It’s true. It’s easy to believe in goodness (or in whatever name you have for holiness/righteousness/Spirit/the choice to do right), when your life is humming along and days are bright. But it’s not so easy when everything you hold dear is about to disappear. Yesterday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon are an example of evil. The Philadelphia abortion doctor killing viable babies after botched abortions is evil. Children starving in countries where dictators are corrupt is evil. Any action of selfishness and lack of character that hurts someone else is wrong sometimes on a quieter, less clear, but often more personal, and so more devastating, level.
When any of us make selfish choices that knowingly harm others, we have to face up to the fact that each of us is capable of evil. We must each be vigilant every day and make sure that we are doing everything we can to be on the side of goodness at every opportunity. Knowing that goodness always wins in the end should spur us on to keep doing the right thing as we see it whenever we can. Believing in goodness in times of suffering is not easy, but it’s worth it. Don’t give up on goodness. Because when the suffering is over, when the sobbing stops, then the sun comes out again. Morning comes fresh and beautiful again. Life presents opportunities for us to do something good ourselves, and when we respond positively, truth gets new legs …. new visibility … new confirmation. Sometimes it takes surviving the struggle to fully appreciate the real goodness shining around us everywhere. Let’s all choose goodness this very day in every way we can.
“For though once your heart was full of darkness, now it is full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it! Because of this light within you, you should do only what is good and right and true.”
Ephesians 5:8-9 (Living Bible)
