What kind of Evil is this?

 

 

"Lord you seem so far away,
A million miles or more it feels today"

 

Don Moen

I Will Sing

 

 

 

After the tragedy and carnage which recently took place at Sandy Hook, I thought we had seen the true personification of evil in the young man who killed those innocent women, children and babies. As numb as most of us were following this horrible event, I did not think it possible I could be sickened to the same degree again. However last week, something equally as horrific happened. Two young thugs in Georgia, using a stolen hand gun, robbed a woman pushing a baby carriage. When the woman told these thugs she had no cash, they wounded her and then shot her baby in the face. 

 

When I heard this on the news, I was so upset I almost vomited. I could not believe what I had just heard. My first thought was "Oh Lord, what kind of evil is this, that roams our streets today?" Then it dawned on me. This is not a new evil, this is an ancient evil that has been around since time began.

 

I remember hearing the worst trick Satan ever played on mankind was convincing us he does not exist. We recently saw it in Sandy Hook. When many were clamoring to have guns outlawed, others were saying this was an act of pure evil. For those who do not believe in the power of good and evil, it was like listening to a fairy tale. The fact is, evil has been with us since Cain killed Able. It has been with us in the past, is with us now, and will be in the future.

 

For some time now, I have  been troubled by the increase in infanticide. To some, life has become so cheap, that God's creation can be killed at any time from conception on. Once we made the decision to end life in the womb, I feel we crossed the Rubicon. To some, the difference between a late term abortion and terminating the life of a baby is a distinction without a difference. To others, taking a life, regardless if in the womb or not, is murder.

As evil continues to roam our land, it convinces us not only that murder is not murder, but also life is cheap. So cheap, we can take someone's life if we feel that person has "disrespected" us. So cheap, that disagreements which at one time were handled by verbal arguments or even fists to cuffs, are now resolved with a gun. What has happened where we can no longer look at each other as brothers and sisters, as a part of God's magnificent plan?

 

I believe the best way to counter the evil which plagues us, is to remember this most vital fact about our fellow man:

 

You are…a child of God,
made in the image of the Most High….
and I will respect you as such.
You are uniquely made, without duplication, without equal.
You are the pinnacle of creation given absolute dominion over all creatures that wander the land, fill our skies and swim in countless seas, lakes and streams.
You are the one who the Maker of all things, great and small, has known since before time began. Every hair on your head is numbered and your name, your purpose, has been determined before the fall of man.
You are important and unique. In the vastness of creation you are very small, yet you play an incredibly vital part of God’s rich plan.
Yes, you are a child of God, our Heavenly Father - and I will respect you as such.