Steve Johnson

What is going on?  Our community and country have witnessed drive-by and mass shootings.  There have been tornadoes, hailstorms and wildfires.  Gas and food prices have been skyrocketing and we’ve had shortages of baby formula and other items.  To make matters worse, the Covid pandemic seems to be never ending.  Why are there so many hardships and so much suffering in the world, and why doesn’t God make everything right?

The simple answer is that we’re not living in the garden of Eden anymore.  When Adam and Eve ate the only forbidden fruit in Eden, the consequences of their disobedience to God’s command affected human beings and nature.  The world is no longer what God intended when he created it because of sin.  People’s actions cause many of the world’s problems.

The good news is that one day God will create a new heaven and a new earth.  The curse of sin will be reversed and we will dwell in peace and harmony.  While we wait for that day, we continue to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  I believe God is active in our world to fulfill this prayer and often he uses us to do it.  We can’t solve all the problems in society, but we can make a difference in our spheres of influence.

Christians are called to love our neighbors by treating them with respect and kindness.  We should exhibit the character of Christ and the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23.  Believers are to serve others in practical ways and be peacemakers.  Although we don’t know when God will overthrow evil and suffering and establish the new heaven and new earth, Christians offer the hope that it will come to pass.  Until that hope is realized, may we show others the way of life in Christ.