We have come to accept the idea that the world is a smaller place. We can reach out to others around the world through tweets, Facebook, emails, text messages, and telephone calls without thinking twice. What was the exception is not a norm. We may choose not to do it, however the choice is rarely driven by ability or ease. It can appear as if we take it for granted.
As I look out at the midst hiding in the tree canopy, feeling a cool tropical breeze, and wondering how long it has been since I noticed gentle pastel colors in the sky, I am transported to another time and place. I can remember this sense of wonder in several places. There is only one where I expected the gentle pastels, Florida. How the scenes could reach out to me now baffles me. There has been too much history between then and now. With wonderful as well as painful memories crowding the journey, I am surprised that a quiet morning can still come back to my mind. There are certain details that are vivid – smells, the feeling of wonder. Other details, why I was there, what was going on in my life at the time, have faded into the background. I realize that the world is a smaller place for more reasons than just technology.
My memories remind me that good and evil can reach beyond time and distance. Good and evil know no limits. They touch people and communities at will. The wreck and nurture without bias. Rich and poor, strong and weak, powerful and the powerless are touched. As I nurse the wounds of evil’s touch, my prayer for you and for myself echoes David’s. “God, keep us safe from their lies, from the wicked who stalk us with lies, from the wicked who collect honors for their wonderful lies.” (Psalm 12.7, 8)
I know evil will reach into my life today. I also know you and I have an invitation to be a force for good. You and I can make a difference.
