March 2009 Articles

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The Good that Still Exist

Spiritual Corner: By Dana Bennett The Good that Still Exist
We turn on the news, open the paper, pull up a web page, and so many of the headlines that we see make our hearts hurt, our knees tremble, and our stomachs sick. “2 trains collide in Switzerland,” “Car bombings in Iraq,” “FBI arrests 150 in child prostitution raid,” “Massive poverty in America,” “$136 M in jewels stolen,” and the list goes on. Everywhere we turn, it seems like something negative is happening, like the only news we ever get from our media is bad news. Can you really blame people who don’t watch the news and stay informed? Maybe they seriously don’t want to be depressed day in and day out by what our world appears to be coming to? What about the people who do watch the news daily and stay up to date? Don’t you think that the negativity of our world could be affecting them? Causing more stress and worry in a society that has already been served up plenty? It’s true; our nation and the world we live in is filled with catastrophes, disasters, scams, and corrupt people. Someone did steal $136 million dollars worth of jewels from a hotel in southern France. No telling how many people this criminal act affected. It’s also true that about 35 people were injured in a train collision in Switzerland. These were undoubtedly people with families and friends, who are now suffering along with the injured. Another fact is that there are many U.S. adults, (4 out of 5 to be exact) that face joblessness, are reliant on welfare, or are near-poverty. And as I’m sure you know, our nation’s poor economy does not only affect these unemployed adults, but there are also many others who have to deal with the repercussions of the state of our nation. Also, yes, it’s true that before most of us were awake this morning, about 47 people were killed in Iraq due to car bombings. And finally, while it’s great news that 150 people were arrested for child sex trafficking, it’s also horrifying to think about all of the children that have been subjected to this and the ones that still are. All of these horrifying stories are important; things we should think about and pray earnestly about. And how can we not, when they are all we seem to see day in and day out? I am not saying we should ignore the bad in this world, because we can’t and we shouldn’t. If we ignored the bad completely, there would be no room for us to grow, no way for us to reach out and help others. And as heartbreaking as all of the bad is, it helps us to rely on God to get us through, thus strengthening our relationship with our Father. The point of this article however, is not to bring you down about what our world is coming to. In fact, it is meant to do the opposite. While our media highlights the evil of this world, I want to give y’all a glimpse of what so many have forgotten about: the good that still exists in our world. Have you heard about the 82 year old Irish-American man who is a billionaire and has given around $7.5 billion dollars away to charity and research, all the while keeping his philanthropy a secret for 15 years? As rich as he is, he has lived frugally over those years, not owned a car, had his children live as normal kids and pay their way through college and so on. This man did not sit on his wealth and lavish it upon himself. Instead, he lived at a lower income level than many and gave his money away to those who needed it! It is reported that he has given away 99% of his fortune to help others. “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” –2nd Corinthians 9:7 Did you hear about the garbage truck driver who, along with his cool big truck, inspired a little boy suffering from autism to speak his first words? The little boy, whose name is Grayson, was so fascinated by the large vehicle that he exclaimed, “I want truck!” Frank, the garbage truck driver, has formed a friendship with Grayson and lets him sit in the truck with him, and he even carries a picture of him in the truck. This little boy made a connection with something/someone for the first time, and Frank had a huge part in helping him accomplish this milestone. Grayson looks forward to seeing Frank and his truck every single week, and it is Frank’s very favorite stop to make. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” –Matthew 18:1-5 Did you know that a couple from Iowa celebrated their 79th anniversary this past June? Alvin and Eula Blankenship are both 99 years old and have been married since 1934. They have spent so much of their life together and still remain together. Through all the fights and arguments and hard times they undoubtedly faced during those 79 years, this man and woman have remained faithful in marriage to each other, illustrating exactly what “true love” is. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” –1st Corinthians 13:4-8 Have you read about how Jonathan Willard, who is an undrafted free agent rookie with the Tennessee Titans, rescued a woman, her three kids and her Chihuahua from a burning car just minutes before it exploded? “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” –Matthew 7:12 What about how one lady in Massachusetts paid for the order of the person behind her in the drive-thru at a donut shop and it caused a chain reaction, with a total of 55 people doing the same kind act? “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” –Ephesians 2:10 How about the 6 year old boy who wrote a book to raise money to help find a cure for a horrible disease his best friend is living with? The book was published and began to be sold and has raised $200,000 so far that has all been donated to research to help find a cure for GSD, glycogen storage disease type 1 B. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” –Proverbs 17:17 And did you know that just recently I had car trouble and ruined two of my tires while on the way to work and a man stopped to see if I was okay? He not only checked to see if I was okay, he also changed one of my tires for me, offered to go and pick up 2 new tires for me if I needed him to, and after my sister and I came back with 2 new tires, he made me call him just so he could come back and change them for me.
“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’” –Luke 10:33-35 If these stories haven’t inspired you, given you hope for America, and put you in a better mood, than I don’t know what will. Yes, our world is filled with so much evil, but y’all, it’s also filled with so much good. There are so many good people out there who are serving others and loving others. There are people just like the ones mentioned in the stories above who are making a difference in other people’s lives. The truth of the matter is, there will always be some good in this world because God is involved with His creation, and He is nothing but good. So instead of focusing on all of the terrible things going on, we need to take a step back. We need to recognize the tragedies of this age, notice the desperate state our world often seems to be in, but then give it all to God and trust Him to take care of it. Then we need to look around and see all of the good that is going on and be thankful for it, and we need to get out there and continue it. We need to show God’s love to the world and remember that although the world can seem disheartening, there are still good people out there. Let’s go out today and be one of those good people and bring our Father in Heaven glory and someone else a little joy.