This past weekend the world watched in horror at the events in Norway. A man dressed as a policeman went into a youth camp and slaughtered 68 people. We cannot comprehend how anyone can be so evil and think the only answer must be he is ill. This type of action is so horrific that there is no way for us to reconcile this in our minds. Why would he do this? Why children?
When we look at the reading today we see a warning given by Jesus that all of us have this kind of impurity inside of us. We do not want to look at it because we want to believe that we are kind and caring and accepting of people's differences and we pat ourselves on the back and move forward. But what Oswald Chambers is writing about today is that inside of each of us, there is all sorts of evil potential. I like the way he writes this....."If I will take an honest look at myself, becoming fully aware of my so-called innocence and putting it to the test, I am very likely to have a rude awakening that what Jesus Christ said is true, and I will be appalled at the possibilities of the evil and the wrong within me......If I have never been an openly rude and abusive person, the only reason is my own cowardice coupled with the sense of protection I receive from living a civilized life." The only thing that can protect me from the potential inside of me to do evil is Jesus Christ and the change He can bring to my nature.
While I was living in Danang, Vietnam and working at the Children's Hospital there I would drive a van to the air base to take someone to the airport, go shop or have a meal. Since I have a poor sense of direction I liked to go with someone else to not get lost. This one day I was with my friend, Sherry. Now there was a real problem at this time. When people would drive down the road there were children who would come along side and steal whatever they could get from your vehicle. We had watched them pace themselves along with military jeeps and take the gas can that was belted to the back of the jeep, take watches off people who were not paying attention, packages that were not being tightly held and run off......It was easy because the roads were narrow with cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles all traveling together and no one was traveling very fast. Coupled with what I had witnessed, I had been robbed of my camera and had needed to leave China Beach because there were so many of these "slicky boys" as they were called at that time.....trying to take my things while I was sitting on my towel. They would come in a group and you couldn't watch each one all the time. So this particular day as we were traveling back to the hospital several boys started to cross the street. One was on crutches and the others were walking slowly with him and cars were beginning to slow even more than usual. From the side I saw the other boys starting to pace themselves with my van and our doors did not lock so they would be in and out quickly if I slowed down.......and this is were I came face to face with my own depravity......with the evil inside of me.......I pushed my foot down on the accelerator and began driving as fast as I could.....and this van made a terrible sound as I raced forward........right toward the boy on the crutches and his friends......He dropped the crutches and they all ran out of the way......so I was right that this was a ploy to slow me down so I could be robbed.......but that isn't what I had to face........their wrong doing.......I had to face the fact that I was working to help the children in Vietnam and yet.....at this moment.....I was hurtling toward them in a vehicle that could have crushed them........and I frankly couldn't believe that I had made that instantaneous decision......protect myself at all cost.........I am so thankful that they were able to run out of the way before I reached where they were.......
We may think that we are non violent, spiritual or just good.......and yet we could do something that at this time is unimaginable in our normal state because we are not pure......and this gives me greater appreciation of what God is doing in my life as He is changing me from the inside......
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