It seems we can avoid blame if we’re not the ones actively causing harm. But what we passively allow can be just as damaging. And perhaps it cuts deeper because it didn’t have to be this way.
Certainly, it’s easy to see how much heartache and suffering a bully can cause. And it makes sense we would want to avoid such immature demanding and pushing of our own agenda.
But often we then swing to the opposite extreme and do nothing. And our passivity allows for much unnecessary pain and suffering to enter our life.
We’re taught to resist evil. And this implies we’re actively standing against it and not just merely avoiding participation ourselves.
And standing against it means we don’t allow it to take up residence within our kingdom or realm of influence.
For instance, this might mean guarding against the music, entertainment, and news we allow into our homes. While we might not be actively promoting certain thoughts and heart attitudes, what we allow into our homes is shaping who we become all the same.
This means we’re also actively working to move our marriage toward God’s best. Even if we’re not cheating on our wife or being mean to her per se, we allow ourselves to drift apart and the foundation of our marriage to crumble when we remain passive.
Likewise, our communities will continue to deteriorate whenever we allow hatred and division to speak louder than love and unity.
In the end, it’s not enough to simply avoid doing bad things.
To bring more life and goodness into the world we must be active. Actively promoting what is true, good, and beautiful, and actively resisting whatever is not.
To be sure, life is filled with much heartache and pain. But we don’t have to allow any more than what’s necessary.
Don’t remain passive and allow God’s best to pass you by. Actively stand against all that is wrong and do your part to bring more life and goodness into the world.
Photo by Nubelson Fernandes on Unsplash
