She sounded defeated: “I try so hard to do what’s right, but the bad keeps on winning. What’s the point if it doesn’t do any good?” In the past, I would have countered with some pious platitude sprinkled with Bible quotes. Maybe there’s a time for that response, but I sensed this wasn’t it and said: “I’m sorry things look that way, and what you’re feeling is a hard place to be.”
The world we live in can make us feel like my friend. It seems what little influence or power to change things we might have had has dwindled down to zero. Technology, a crazy economic system, social isolation, and however AI plays out, all seem like parts of a dehumanizing conspiracy, as though we might actually be just a commodity used by the Matrix.
We can go rogue and do something stupid just to get attention. It never worked well when I was little, and I didn’t care much for that approach from my kids or anyone else’s. People still seem to choose that option even when they aren’t so little. The end result never makes the world a better place. Or we can join up with other frustrated people and have a collective tantrum. Just find an issue or cause you all rally around and start throwing hissy fits about it. Again, the end result rarely seems beneficial for anyone.
The truth is, we have real power. We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), a little lower than angels and crowned with glory (Psalm 8:5). Everything you do and say has a ripple effect. You can make people sad or happy, you can lift them up or bring them down. You can help and heal or hurt and harm. You can ignore or pay attention. No one can take that power from you. You alone control what you do with it. The big lie is that what we choose to do with that power makes no difference.
Jesus emphasized this truth in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:14-16). The more people who use their power for good, the better the world will be and the less we’ll all stumble through it. I urged my friend to consider that she wasn’t alone and that something in the positive column was better than nothing. Happily, after her down moment she is back up shining her light.
Dr. Carl Grosse is an ordained pastor and the author of Faith Along the Way, a weekly reflection for KnoxTNToday that encourages readers to discover God’s presence in everyday life and share His love with others.
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