The Good News

Recently a friend of mine posted an article that had a real impact on me. It was about a ring of child pornographers that had been busted and brought to justice. The story was victorious in that very evil people were caught and stopped, but it was very tragic on the other hand in that the article explained the evil that was being committed, and it was heart-wrenching and difficult to bear. Children are born into sin, but there is an innocence that they possess to things like violence, cruelty, sexual perversion, and other evils that make them the saddest victim on the planet. Not only do we desire to protect them because they are little and vulnerable, but we feel sick to think of that innocence being taken from them.

Looking back, I feel there was an inevitable innocence that is lost as I have grown up. A part of it is totally natural - I was meant to come into an understanding of good and evil and to be accountable to that knowledge, but I also believe that I have been bombarded with, and have chosen to be exposed to images, stories, and situations that have put an unnecessary burden on my mind and heart. I am so grateful that I have a relationship with God that is real and effective and He can restore in my heart & mind broken, fearful, and hurting places.

And so when I was originally overwhelmed by the sadness of the story of the abused children in that article, I went to God, pleading with Him to ease my mind from the distress (not only pain for the children that are and have been victims, but also fear for the safety of my own child and the children of my family and friends). God told me a couple of things that were so assuring and I wanted to share them with you. First of all, He told me that to worry frantically about these things is "above my paygrade". God is the one that is in control - He is Father God and He is the Master and Commander of the Universe. All of those job titles assure me that He is much better equipped to carry the burden of these situations than I am. In fact, I believe He was the one that orchestrated the justice brought in this horrifying situation, which I would have never been able to accomplish! He is the defender of the weak and vulnerable.

I will also never understand His whole plan for the world and all those that are in it from the dawn of time until He calls us all home to glory. So although I hear about unspeakable pain and suffering and think it overwhelming, He sees the big picture and it makes sense to Him.

The other thing He told me is that His plan has Redemption and Love at the heart of it. What happens on this earth is not the conclusion of the story. The real story has to do with a Father allowing His only son Jesus to suffer a horrifying death in order to herald the true end of the story: Victory and Eternal Life. It's a love story, and although it has bumps and bruises along the way, it is all to bring about the eternal redemption that we all need.

So when I pleaded with God about what I could do to save these children and other children from such despicable harm, He told me "share the Gospel". The Gospel is the only answer to sin and evil. No amount of programming or money can do more than what the Gospel does to someone who has given themselves over to such evil, they would harm or take another life. Nothing more powerful or healing than the Gospel to a wounded and broken person who has had everything taken from them.

With all the "ratings" that bad news attracts, it is easy to forget that there is good news all around us, and all over the world that we don't get to hear about. It's the news of the Gospel spreading to hearts all over the globe and people being reconciled with their Creator, and being healed and made whole even despite their life circumstances. The JOY that comes with the Gospel is the privilege that we get to share it if we know the story of the Gospel, and truly believe it to be GOOD NEWS!