We love stories that pit the good guys against the bad, especially when, with the odds against them, the “good” win.
But how accurate is this scenario? As an English teacher I would encourage my students to appreciate that realistic heroes are never purely good, nor are villains devoid of merit. In The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis’ demon laments that Hell has found no way to produce such an asset. “This is a serious handicap. To be greatly and effectively wicked, a man needs some virtue.”
When we leave the storybook behind and delve into history – and the daily news – it seems that we must retire our romantic ideals about good winning over evil. In the first place, humans are invariably a mixed bag of good and bad. Second, the no-rules policy of evil – content to lie, cheat, steal, and even murder in order to gain the upper hand – appears to work so well. Its success seduces many people of generally good intention into thinking that rules have to be bent in order to get anything positive accomplished.
Against these “realities,” the way of holiness has always masqueraded as a loser’s strategy. Up to the point of the crucifixion, who had ever heard of a victim having the power to change the world? Conventional wisdom expects Might to make its own Right. God’s wisdom teaches that allegiance to the Lord outlasts every shortcut to power.
Consider Jesus’ choice of obedience. His submission to death on the cross looked like a capitulation to all that was wrong with the world. But that was because we humans couldn’t possibly imagine the transformative power of divine righteousness that is Easter.
The world teaches us to measure achievement in the here and now, as if the earth itself were the prize. But what happens on this planet is never the end of the story. While God celebrates with us the triumphs of good we experience in this life, the true “living happily ever after” awaits us in the eternal house of the Lord.
For updates on my book, or more information about me, continue to check back to this blog! I will also be frequently updating my Facebook Author page, as well my twitter account, @AuthorMcNabb, and my LinkedIn account, Katie McNabb.
6 Responses to The Best Story