It is Sunday as I write. It’s been a week since the silence of a laid-back afternoon was shattered by a shrill, screaming alert on our phones. We grabbed for them simultaneously and found a blue alert regarding a truck that was being sought by law enforcement. A little bit later, as Ken was checking for messages and news, he learned the reason for the alert. Evil had certainly come to our little corner of the Ozarks. A Christian County Deputy had been shot and killed during a traffic stop, and the search was on for the owner of the truck that had been revealed by cameras. We all know how that tragedy played out in the dark of night.

Late in the week, we were told that the US and Israel had commenced air strikes on Iran. That news sparked unrest throughout the world, as we would expect, and mass shootings have now occurred on US soil. Is this the beginning of the end? I can’t answer that question. Nor can you or any of the many who try to predict what God will do. Only He knows when our final hour will come. But the message He gives to us for the time that we walk this earth is clear:

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:21

It’s a very simple message, but one whose mission is very difficult for humans to implement. We want to have revenge; feel we are entitled to it. But in the face of evil, we are told to show goodness, to be the light of Christ in this troubled world. The challenge is great, and we cannot meet it alone, but the Creator will share His strength with us if we ask for His help and obey His word. More than ever, we must make the choice as to whose we are.

In any tragedy, those left behind are at the beginning of a journey, one of deep mourning and tremendous loss. They will pass through many stages in their grief. But someday, when the hurt and anger have settled, when the weight of the tragedy lightens a bit, and they seek to move on, then comes the hardest part. They must choose whether or not to forgive the transgressor.

Forgiveness is a hard, hard step to take, especially during very emotional circumstances. But, if we are to have true healing and the freedom to move forward, forgiveness must be a part of the process. Jesus said it all when He hung on the cross:

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Luke 23:34

Just as Jesus interceded and asked forgiveness for those who tortured him, we are to forgive those who hurt us. We tend to believe that forgiveness absolves the one who has hurt us, if we’re honest, we often want their guilt to continue. But we must remember that we can’t control how our transgressor will respond to an offer of forgiveness. We can only control our own actions. The man who committed his hateful act in our community last week has already sealed his fate. But his victims—the families, friends, colleagues, and even those of us who grieve on the sidelines—have a choice to make, to heal or to hold on to the evil. I pray we will be like Jesus—and be His Light in the world. Out of evil, God has brought goodness. He did it before—He can do it again