How do you overcome evil? How do you find the strength to offer good in the face of evil and darkness? Join me this month as I focus on Goodness, one of the Fruits of the Spirit.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
Have you ever been hurt or seen some injustice that just made you want to lash out, to hurt that person back for what they did?
You see their evil and want to return it. After all, they deserve a taste of their own medicine, right?
I know this feeling well. How about you?
The thing is, responding with evil for evil doesn’t create anything good. Unlike in math where two negatives can get you a positive, in life, negatives only beget more negatives. Exponentially.
So how do you overcome evil? And how do you find the strength to offer good in the face of evil?
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)
This verse refers to Jesus, the true light in the darkness of our world. But we have light, too. Our goodness is our light. And it is the best and only weapon that defeats evil.
When someone wrongs us, when horrible things happen, we can fight back. We can fight with our words and our fists. But victory won’t be ours.
Why? Why can’t we hit back? What’s wrong with just a little revenge?
The problem with earthly solutions is that they are limited and impermanent. What feels like a victory today will often feel like regret tomorrow. And when we strike out, we often sin as badly as the person who started it.
But acting in goodness has the opposite effect. It revitalizes us. It brings us peace. And the light of our actions is stronger than any darkness.
“But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” (Ephesians 5:13)
Turn that evil around. Expose it with your light and change it from something living in darkness to a being of light.
If someone hurts you, forgive them. If the system fails you, work to expose and change it.
Do you see darkness? Be the light.
Your goodness can change so much more than your darkness. Overcome evil with good and you will stop the cycle without being a victim of it.
I hope you hold tight to the light in your soul, the innate goodness that God nourishes within us all, today. We are meant to be children of light. Let’s act like it.
Have a blessed Monday!
Looking for more encouragement and inspiration today? Try these posts:
Leave a Reply