It is good!

This week, Bishop Woodie White has an article in the United Methodist Reporter titled REFLECTIONS: Focus on good news! In it, Bishop White urges us to remember that there is not only bad in the world, but also good. He recalls as a child a news commentator who would begin with “There’s good news tonight!” Should we not remember this mantra today?

He comments that to some, bad news is the only desirable news there is. Any good news must be twisted into a way that reflects poorly on someone or something. Some do this for political reasons. Listen to any political commentator and you will hear this. A politician from the opposite side of the aisle could come up with a cure for cancer, end world hunger, and bring world peace and the political commentator will find someway to change it into bad news. Others do this for money. Listen to an advertisement for gold and you will think that the total destruction of any form of government was imminent. Still others do it just because they have a negative attitude about life.

We needn't ignore the bad in the world. Bishop White tells us "To be sure, it is important to be informed of the events that reveal flaws of leaders, nations and individuals. These must be addressed forcefully and effectively. Our desired end is the common good, freedom, justice and fairness for all. We must correct all that would dehumanize or seek to destroy our common humanity and desire for community." We have much work to do. God gives us this as our challenge. We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the imprisoned, give water to the thirsty, cure the sick, fight for justice, take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. But we must not ignore the good that God is doing. "But it is the good in people and the good of people that makes the world a better place. To overlook or minimize this good, as evidenced in deeds or works, is to forget who we are as a people and the children of a God. Not a bad God, but a good God!" Indeed, the very message of salvation, the Gospel, is Good News.

What good is going on in your life?