Blog : On Kindness, Good, and Evil (May 31, 2021)

 

This boy. :-) He is the one who expanded my heart to see that I could do more--even for just one person. I shouldn't call him a boy or a kid. Enio is a fine young man who is raising his younger sister after the death of their mother. I wrote about him a bit here: Thirteen Years in My Pocket

Enio's serious, kind, and faithful soul marked me again in recent days. He is very young (at least to me--20 years old), yet very responsible. I see him follow through in detailed ways as he works (his boss is my host in San Marcos, Guatemala). Even when it is not his job, Enio helps others. I observe his ways in contrast to other young men his age (former coworkers) who are involved in a very serious situation against his boss.

John 10:10 (AMPC) is playing out before my eyes: "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy." I won't take long to explain, but a large amount of building materials were charged and sold (stolen!) supposedly to get money to escape to the USA for the "American dream." Once discovered and legally pursued, death threats came. Accounts of other destruction came in, and death threats spread to anyone connected to the side of good.

It is tempting to step back. I see the questions weighed. I see a generous and caring man wrestle with the hurt and weight of doing good and yet facing evil. I see others rally around him. I also see an instruction in Romans 12:21 (AMPC): "Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good."

I looked up the word they translated as "overcome (master)" to find nuances of meaning. I found the Greek word nikáō from nikē. Familiar word, right? Nike: Just do it! But here's what I found: "to conquer; to carry off the victory, come off victorious," and "when one is arraigned or goes to law, to win the case, maintain one's cause."

Hate will come toward us without a cause. I heard this referenced the night before this particular situation exploded.

John 15:24-25 (AMPC)
24 If I had not done (accomplished) among them the works which no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of sin. But [the fact is] now they have both seen [these works] and have hated both Me and My Father.
25 But [this is so] that the word written in their Law might be fulfilled, They hated Me without a cause.

But we maintain our cause and come off victorious by using good to overcome evil. This is enough for me! 

I am a stranger in this country. I do not know who "deserves" help, and I see more need than I can meet. But my heart is glad that the first person to inspire a kindness one-to-one is a young man with good character. So I will continue to do good when I am able and my heart leads. If evil comes and reviles, I will maintain my cause.