Those with the courage and faith to look for good in this life will sometimes be rewarded with more goodness than you might imagine. It isn’t enough to simply look around to see the truly good. You have to look twice. You have to look closer.
Look at our schools. Young men and women are headed back to school in a year that always seems to start earlier than it did when I was a child. At first glance this might not seem like a good thing (especially to the kids), but what is behind this? We live in a world that realizes how important it is to support and develop young people to be their best. What a blessing! Now look closer. Many members of our congregation serve as teachers, professors, and school administrators. Those young people are being educated by many good and Godly people who have dedicated their lives to helping young people grow.
That means that their Christian faith is at work in service to our community, and it is helping to form our future. There is more goodness out there if we are willing to look.
Look at society. No really, I dare you. Upon first glance most people see problems; political division, crime, poverty, and social welfare issues. Now walk outside and look again. Do you see these problems in our community? Does your street or your town look like the image of society you see on tv or social media? We are blessed to live in a safe, beautiful, thriving community, that is very different from what is described elsewhere. Now look closer. Behind the scenes our community is supported by Christian faith that is shared in many churches, whose members live out their faith in God through love and service to their neighbors as civil servants at the city, county, and even state level. Our neighbors love one another through giving to and serving in a number of non-profit social service organizations and para-church ministries that tangibly show Christ’s love to those in need. Christian faith in action is preserving and strengthening our society right before our eyes.
Now look at Church. It is not unfair to point out that the Church of Christ has its struggles. Not too long ago Christians could point to their own denominations, congregations, and communities to show the triumph of Christ’s church. Today those same Christians are forced to point to far flung places on other continents to find examples of Church thriving the way it once did right here at home. The prevalence of Christian faith in the U.S. has been in steady decline for some time. Churches close, those who remain struggle to find ministers, and struggle even more to have the impact they once did. Now look closer. Inside of every congregation you will find faithful Christians who have not accepted these conditions as though there was no answer. Instead they are filled with men and women who have decided to follow Christ no matter what happens in the world around them. They tenaciously work to find new ways to share their faith in their communities. That kind of faith, the kind which sees the challenges and is up for the fight, the kind which loves God and neighbor too much to ever throw in the towel; that faith is the seed of tomorrow’s revival. Now look at Trinity. Do you see Christians like this? I do. They work on the staff, and serve in the community. They faithfully volunteer to serve. They never stop encouraging their brothers and sisters in Christ. I see one in you, and I see one in the mirror every morning. Christian faith is being lived out right before our eyes.
It takes courage and faith to look close enough to see the good in life, perhaps more of each than some can muster. But I encourage you to look, and then look again, and then look closer to see what is really there. God is here, and things are better than you might imagine.
In Christ’s Freedom,
