evil: the absence of good

So much has happened in our country over the past few months. Peaceful protests turned into violent and terrifying riots. People destroying America's history and tearing down any statue they came into contact with, no matter what it stands for. Police Departments being defunded, leading to a 240% crime increase in just a few weeks. And lives being taken, including the lives of young children and babies because of that crime increase (yet we’ve heard nothing about their lives mattering from the media). 

Two weekends ago we celebrated Independence Day. I expected it to feel different than any other Independence Day I've been alive for. It definitely did feel different, but not in the way I expected. That whole day, I didn't want to get on social media because I was sure all I would see would be posts bashing our president, declaring how systemically racist our country is, and people telling their followers not to celebrate this Independence Day because there is nothing about America worth celebrating. But when I finally got on, I saw the complete opposite. Yes, there were still posts like those that I had expected to see, but there were so many more posts declaring how great this country is, and how lucky we are to live in the greatest nation in the world. And despite public firework displays being cancelled for the most part because of the virus, I heard more of them going off than ever before. I even saw a video of hundreds of fireworks going off in the skyline of California, one of the states that seems to hate this country the most. It gave me hope that people still acknowledge how lucky they are to live here, and still love this country despite the many attempts by the media and politicians to change that love into hate. 

It truly breaks my heart when I hear so many Americans talk about how bad they have it because they live in the United States of America. Are they serious? They're too busy worrying about "white privilege" that they forget the privilege they have of living in this country. There are countries where slavery is still legal, where women have no rights and are considered to be the property of their husband, where every action of the people is dictated by their government, where children get one meal a week, and where you wouldn't dare speak about your leaders even half as badly as the people in this country speak about President Trump, because if you did, there's no doubt that you would be in prison (or worse). Yet people still have the nerve to complain about how bad their life is because they live in the US, just because of a handful of racist, sexist, and homophobic people. I'm sure there are millions of people in this world that would do almost anything to be able to live here, and it makes me sick to think that people living here now seem to be willing to do anything to destroy everything that makes America great. 

This country is far from perfect, and I know that. I've seen it with my own eyes. Homeless men and women setting up tents underneath an overpass, or sleeping on a park bench in the hot, Texas summer heat. A woman climbing into the church dumpster to see what all she could find to take for her children to use or to eat. Falling-apart homes right down the street from giant houses. The bus stop in Houston that is one of the top locations for human trafficking in the world. The little children living in domestic violence shelters with their mothers, trying their best to stay safe from the evil man that ruined their lives. The African Episcopal Church in Charleston where just a few weeks before, nine people were killed during their Bible study either because of the color of their skin or because of the God they believed in. If things like this happen in the United States, the most prosperous and free country in the world, I can't even imagine what it's like in the most impoverished countries where they don't have the rights or opportunities that American citizens have. 

The thing is, evil things are going to happen no matter where we are in the world simply because humans are evil by nature. It's not a matter of black vs. white, men vs. women, religious vs. atheist, republican vs. democrat, or gay vs. straight. It's a matter of good vs. evil, and God vs. Satan just like it has been ever since Eve bit the fruit. It may seem as though evil is always winning, but all evil needs to succeed is a lack of goodness because, by definition, that’s all it is; evil is the absence of good. And what is the one truly good thing in this world? Jesus. The evil we see in this life isn’t because of racism, sexism, or prejudices.

If evil is the absence of good, and Jesus is the only good thing, then what we’re seeing in this world is an absence of Jesus. 
        

Tearing down statues, changing the names of professional sports teams, and removing Aunt Jemimah are not the solutions to the racial injustices in this country that we need. There is only one Solution: Jesus. We can’t conquer the evil and divisive powers of  Satan on our own because you can’t drive out sin with more sin. Sin only disappears when Jesus is involved because He is the only One who can conquer the schemes of the devil. If we were capable of defeating him ourselves, then there was no reason for Jesus to lose His life in the most brutal death imaginable. 

There’s a lack of Jesus in the hearts of so many, but there is also a lack of Christians living their lives in a way that radiates His goodness and love. We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus, living lives that point others to Him, yet some of us are the main reason people want nothing to do with Him. That breaks my heart even more than people taking the luxuries of this country for granted. 

The only way we will see change in this world is if we start living unabashedly for Christ, becoming love, and standing up for Truth with no fear, shame, or embarrassment. 

We need to love others with the same fervor that Christ loves them, no matter their race, gender, sexuality, or political party. We need to raise our children up in a way that points them to God because they are the future of this nation and of the Church. We need to live our lives in a way that shows others the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. And we need to pray without ceasing for the hearts of those that are blinded to the truth, and for the state of our nation and world. 

If evil is the absence of good, and Jesus is the only good thing, then what we’re seeing in this world is an absence of Jesus.