There are Two Sides to Every Story...Until There’s Not, and Then What?

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There are Two Sides to Every Story...Until There’s Not, and Then What?

There are two sides to every story until there’s not, and then what?

On April 21, 2020, a month into a global pandemic, there was a whole lot going on in my heart (there still is), but there were also a whole lot of unknowns, a whole lot of new ideas, theories, and data, and a whole whole lot of personal opinions. I processed my take on it all in this social media post entitled, There are Two Sides to Every Story months before I began officially “blogging” on my website.

And I FELT every word of that post, and I meant it, too. I still do. There are passionate people on both sides. Passionate for extremely personal reasons. Passionate because of this incredibly hard season.

Fast forward almost a year and a half later, and while there are still (and always will be) unknowns, there is a whole lot more research, data, and experience forming and fueling these ideas and theories (and a theory can be just that, a plain ol’ theory devoid of any conspiracy).

That being said. I still believe...

There are two sides to every story...until there’s not, and then what?

What exactly do I mean? Well, let me explain by telling you what I see...

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What's So Good About Good Friday?

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What's So Good About Good Friday?

I’ve always been confused by the name given to this day — GOOD Friday. Really?

What’s so good about the devastating, unfair, cruel act we remember on this day? Jesus was mocked and scorned, beaten beyond recognition, and crucified as a criminal when the only thing He was guilty of was loving those who hated him and forgiving those who hurt him.

Why then do we call it GOOD? Well, the longer I walk with Jesus, the more I’m seeing the GOOD in this day. And to sum up several years of searching scripture and a plethora of journal pages of processing through it all...

There can be no resurrection without death. There can be no victory without a battle. There can be no growth without growing pains. GOOD is made better on the other side of the bad.

GOOD Friday set the stage for the GOOD News that was coming. Jesus said, “It is finished,” and breathed his last human breath (John 19:30). Many that day thought those final words and that final breath would be the final act, and the curtain would close.

Three days later, however, that curtain would re-open, because, literally, the curtain of the temple had been torn in two at the very moment of Jesus’ death (Mark 15:38). And when that curtain re-opened, it was a “curtain call” that moved all of Heaven and earth to applause as it revealed the BEST version of GOOD we will ever experience — death defeated that we might have life! Jesus lived, died, and rose again so that we might live abundantly and eternally with Him!

And that’s the very best kind of GOOD there could ever be if you ask me!

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His Ever Present Light is Greater Than This Present Darkness

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His Ever Present Light is Greater Than This Present Darkness

This. Present. Darkness.

I heard these three words strung together as Chelsey, the host of the Living with Less Podcast quoted verse 12 of Ephesians 6 in the English Standard Version. This verse is found in the passage of scripture that explains what the armor of God is and why we, as Christians, should take up this armor every single day.

When I heard Chelsey say these words, and read them again in God’s Word, it reminded me of a book I read years ago when I first started walking with the Lord. The book, This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti, is a fictional allegory that sheds light on a spiritual reality. There’s a reason God gives us His armor. We are at war with the forces of evil. Light vs Dark. Good vs Evil. God vs Satan.

The sole purpose of the armor of God is to battle THIS PRESENT DARKNESS.

THIS. As in “This” right here, not “that” over there. It is right in front of us. It is creeping up behind us, and it is all around us seeking to devour us. It is THIS present darkness. This one here, up close and personal. Not “that” one, way over there, far away, staying at bay.

PRESENT. As in present, not absent. It is here and accounted for. It is not missing in action, on leave, or excused. It is PRESENT. It is also PRESENT. As in present tense, not past or future tense (although it was present then and will be until the end). It is PRESENT. Right here and right now.

DARKNESS. As in pure evil. Vile. I think there’s a reason evil and vile are made up of the same letters. It doesn’t matter how you try to change it, rearrange it, or explain it, evil is evil, vile is vile, and both are wicked and sick and lead to destruction and death.

I’ve been thinking about this present darkness quite a bit lately. I know that probably seems pretty morbid, but I think my mind goes there because this darkness is so evidently here. THIS DARKNESS is PRESENTLY PRESENT. Here and now. Not a thing of the past or a future threat. And it is trying to not only dim the Light, but to diminish it altogether.

Yes, the presence of darkness is all around us, and this present darkness is trying to confound us.

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