Columbine. What do you think when you read that word? The massacre of students at Columbine High School in suburban Denver was one of the first and most memorable mass shootings in our country. Do you remember the shock and horror you felt in hearing? Too often the agony has been repeated in other settings.
This week, I had the chance to hear the tragic and painful story of the mother of one of the perpetrators at Columbine. In the story, a reporter asks, “Do you believe in evil?” “Evil is a spiritual term,” came the response. It is indeed.
Christian scripture not only teaches but personifies evil. Evil exists because there is one who is evil. In Christ, the forces of evil in our world met their match. Mark tells us that Jesus came to earth exercising his authority to exorcise evil. On this occasion, the forces of evil pleaded to enter a herd of pigs. Why? I have no idea. Watching young FFA students herd their pigs at a show this week, I liked what I saw. One pig, raised well by a Tallowood student embodies the moniker “Cris P. Bacon.” These pigs, like sheep, wanted to go their own way.
What I do know is that evil always seeks to destroy life, but Jesus came to give life. Like the man delivered in this story, when God sets us free from the forces of evil, all we want to do is go with him. Jesus’ response helps us. When we find forgiveness and freedom in Christ, it is good to tell the people around us the great things that God has done for us. With the Psalmist in 126:3, we Christians can say, “The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy!” What if we started at home? Tell the people closest to you what God has done for you today.
