This weekend we witnessed an event here in Arizona that is hard to comprehend.  Trying to find reason in it escapes me.  What possesses a person to go beyond just thinking evil to actually acting it out?  While I shouldn’t be surprised at the capability of evil to manipulate a person’s heart the dignity of God’s image in me always reacts with shock and awe when it happens. What will we discover in the days ahead?  I have a hunch we will learn how a young man’s depraved nature overruled his dignity.  There but for the grace of God go I.

It is evil’s desire to destroy the glory of God. It can’t.  It can’t because God placed in us at creation, dignity that cannot be ultimately eliminated.  But evil uses unending lies that we are worthless, unappreciated, rejected beings that will only survive if we take life into our own hands.  Man develops a myriad of means to camouflage the pain suffered from hurts experienced in this journey.  Unfortunately evil makes it easy for individuals to accentuate depravity. Accepting and or strengthening dignity in light of the onslaught of evil is very difficult even for the most disciplined followers of the truth. Dignity is presented with masks of etiquette and accomplishment to hide the depravity that bubbles below the surface.  When someone explodes there is shock and awe, but not really surprise. 

While the level of severity of reaction to depravity varies, the feelings and pain generated is the same.  Evil desires us to eliminate any connection with God’s given dignity by convincing us that it does not exist.  Evil declares it is our destiny to take the reigns of life in our own hands. It may be private or secluded in our immediate circles of life or it may be to the magnitude of a Jared Lee Laughner.  Evil desires to destroy one soul at a time but if in destroying one it can take many others along, even better. 

This is the evil in the world that Jillian and I have been called to confront.  Evil that attempts with powerful determination to eliminate the glory of God in all of us.  Sexual abuse is his most potent weapon.   Here’s the good news:

“These things I have spoken to you that in ME ALONE you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation, but TAKE COURAGE; I have OVERCOME the world…In all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loves us…But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ…We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves…He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with ME on MY throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne…”