Great Evils

Do not be overcome by evil. Romans 12:21

There may be people you know whose lives have been scarred by neglect or abuse from parents who should have loved them. There may be people you know who have been falsely accused or wrongfully imprisoned. Perhaps there are people you know whose loved ones have been killed. These are great evils.

If you have suffered a great evil in your life, you know that the toughest challenge you face is to make sure that it does not overcome you. How easy it would be for you to live off hatred towards the person who hurt you. If you let yourself go, you would be consumed by an inner rage and never really be at peace. You could let the wounds of your life define you so that you lose your confidence, your peace, and your joy.

Being overcome by evil can happen to disciples of Jesus. It is not beyond us to say, “Fight fire with fire!” James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven on the enemies of Jesus, and Peter drew his sword when the soldiers came to the Garden of Gethsemane. These are examples of being overcome by evil. But there is another possibility: “overcome evil with good” (12:21).

Have you suffered violence? Have you been discriminated against? Have you been abused? Verbally? Emotionally? Sexually? What’s the toughest challenge you face?