How Should we Respond to Evil?

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world~ John 16:33

Last Friday, during what is normally a season of joy and celebration, America was reminded that evil is real and at times it manifests itself in a tangible way. Because of the selfish act of one man, twenty children and six women are gone; their lives ended—most of them before they got started really living. Families are grieving and a quiet community has been changed forever.

We have no words in our language to describe the horror of what took place on Friday. As the Mother of three children my heart aches and I grieve with the rest of the country for the entire Newtown community; their loss is immeasurable.

No decent person could possibly understand what was going on in this man’s head that would cause him to commit such a heinous act of evil. The real question for those of us in the Christian community is: How do we respond to this kind of evil? How can Christians be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that is at times dark and scary?

If we are going to make a difference in this world we have to have our eyes wide open and understand that evil is real and that it has always existed. Because of the never-ending media coverage it is easy to believe that evil is somehow a new thing, or that it is increasing in intensity. On the contrary, malevolent people have always been with us. Evil is a part of the human condition; we all have within us the potential for good or for evil; it is all about the choices we make in this life.

The killer in Newtown reminds me of Herod, another monster who in a fit of childish rage insisted that every baby boy in Bethlehem be murdered to satisfy his fury. I imagine that the town of Bethlehem grieved much as Newtown grieves today. The entire community was shattered by the wicked self-centeredness of one man.

If we are going to be effective we must be willing to call evil what it is. The monster that executed those children may have had problems but that does not make him any less responsible for his actions. We will never see any sort of productive change in our world until we have a revival of personal responsibility and recognize the truth that human beings, regardless of background or circumstances, are ALWAYS accountable for the choices they make. It is essential that we not only hold others accountable for their actions but also that we take responsibility for our own choices. Christians should shine as examples of personal restraint and responsibility.

When we look at life honestly we are better able to offer help to the hurting.  The victims of evil need help. Sometimes the help they need is financial or practical; other times, they simply need to know that they have not been forgotten. It is easy to keep the Newtown community in our prayers now while the tragedy is still reported on daily. Our prayers will be even more important in the days, months and years to come as the families learn to go on with the business of living without their loved ones. A tangible blessing we can give to people who are hurting is patience. Spiritual and emotional recovery takes time and the greatest gift we can give the hurting is to allow them to speak freely without judgment and the freedom to heal at their own pace.

Tangible help—both practical and spiritual—is essential, but hope is the greatest gift that a Christian can offer this broken and hurting world. Hope is more than a feeling or a yearning for something better. Hope is the birthright of every believer; it is based not on emotional longing for something better but on the historical reality of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The hope that we have is rooted firmly in the promises of Scripture…

  We have hope that the hurting will be healed~

 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds~ Psalm 147:3 

 We have hope that God will somehow bring good out of tragedy~

 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him~ Romans 8:28

 We have hope the hope that in time justice will be done~

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled~ 2^nd Thessalonians 1:6-7

We have hope that there will be a day when God will right all that is wrong and evil in this world~

 Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. Never again will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Isaiah 65: 17,19,23 

We offer hope to the hurting by loving them without judgment and sharing honestly both our struggles and the healing we have received from God. The only real hope any of us have in this broken world is the hope that Jesus gives.

 It has been said that a person can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope. Hope is our birthright as believers, and with every birthright comes a responsibility. Hope is not only something we offer to the hurting it is to be the embodiment of how we live as believers. As we live lives that are characterized by honesty, responsibility, help, and hope, we become the salve our hurting world needs.

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield~ Psalm 33:20