Everywhere I see evil and pain winning. There are too many examples! Terrorists have fundamentally changed that way people live in a big city. They have even altered the psyche of nations. Disease overwhelms the strong, threatens the weak, and devastates all who happen to be in its path. Relationships that used to be strong are now under question; marriage rarely means what it used to mean, job security is myth perpetuated by those who focus more on exploiting than on nurturing. Those who live by the surety of their word more often than not end up in court defending their honor against those known to be selfish, arrogant, and greedy.
At some point everything ends. I know people have been predicting this for generations. I am not predicting this for the traditional reasons even though I worry about the steady deterioration of society’s values and norms. I find my reasons in the boundaries to our ability to take on pain while fighting injustice. People live with limited amounts of true hope. Rarely does one find their hope replenished! Beauty helps. Gifts of love start to fill the tank. Compassion and mercy contribute in a positive way. Yet each only goes so far, easily falling short of being full.
The answer for hope lies in the Source. Only a few, the inside of the insiders, discover that mercy is stronger than justice, compassion more powerful than revenge, and acceptance healing while exclusion enables disease and rot. The gift is available to all yet Evil has successfully created an image that frightens even the most bold! If one goes to the end and works backward it is easier to see. John records how “the Angel showed me Water-of-Life River, crystal bright. It flowed from the Throne of God and the Lamb, right down the middle of the street.” (Revelation 22.1) This is Water that heals, Water that nourishes, Water that fills up the tank with hope. It can be yours, today, right now. It starts with a simple “yes” to the God of compassion, hope, and mercy.
