“We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We don’t know what to do, and so we are looking to you for help.” – 2 Chronicles 20:12
I feel powerless when I fantasize that things are getting better only to be repeatedly hit by the realization that they seem to be getting worse.
Just look:
- We’re polarized, with people demeaning, cursing, hating “them.”
- People keep shooting people while other people are concerned that someone will take away their guns.
- Racism and classism grow deeper roots daily, with growing violence as the response.
Given all this and much more: Doesn’t it seem that the good you’ve worked for is nothing more than a finger in a dam that has sprung too many leaks to hold back the hate? How can you not be discouraged?
But maybe us do-gooders are missing the point when we (naturally) feel this way at times.
Maybe the good we do isn’t to change the world but to witness to the One who can.
“This is what the Lord says to you: Don’t be afraid or discouraged by this great army because the battle isn’t yours. It belongs to God!” – 2 Chronicles 20:15
The good we do is a gift we give to God. We join with God even when the battle seems lost, even when we feel “persecuted for righteousness’ sake.”
The good we do is also a gift we give back to ourselves, because it grounds our souls and connects us to marvelous, amazing people.
I’m grateful that the battle is God’s and not ours.
There’s a reason that the cross retreats in the shadow of the opened tomb.
As a librarian, I have written grants for public computers, and received compliments that people have used those computers to find jobs and housing. It may not be much in the larger scheme of things (not enough to change the nations economic statistics) but it made a big difference in the lives of the individuals that were helped.
Well put, Tom. Thanks for sharing. It’s doing “small things in great ways” that make a difference, as someone once said.