The Evil Among Us

Yesterday's tragedy was one of those powerful reminders of why it's SO hard to say goodbye to (moral) absolutes.  No one who heard of the fatal shooting where so many little children died is confused about the nature of what was done.  No one is wondering if the shooter was "misunderstood" or "meant well" or "had good intentions".  No one is willing to give the shooting itself a shoulder-shrugging as if unsure of the ethical implications.  One word describes it all: evil.

There is fear.  There is shock.  There is sadness.  There is pain.  There is confusion.  There is anger.  For all that people feel about the absurd loss of life, clearly all these emotions spring from the evil nature of what was done.  I'm not going to say much about the murder suspect.  His actions have spoken for him.  But I do have a question:  For all the outrage over the evil that has happened among us, is there any outrage in our day-to-day lives about the evil within us?

Are you defensive already?  Quick to say, "Hey, I'm no angel, but I'm not a mass-murderer either..."?  That's not in question, nor is it my accusation.  I'm just wondering why it takes a spectacular showing of evil in someone else to illicit righteous indignation... but the evil in our own hearts is quietly excused?  The evil we speak, love to hear, and seek to watch- the evil things that we happily engage in alone or perhaps with "consenting adults"- why are these so callously forgotten when the obvious sins of others are manifest?  

This is still Christmas time.  And if Christ came for anything, it was to destroy the works of the devil.  Yesterday's horror story--grim as it was/is-- cannot erase the objective reality of Jesus' incarnation to bring peace where the evil in men's hearts preferred war with the Maker.  If there is any true comfort anywhere in the world, it is in the gospel which proclaims a Savior Who "comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found".  Not just the curse found among us, but the curse found within us.  

I am so grateful for redemption from the curse.