Fight Evil

I've been thinking more about the Fight Evil part. I've been thinking of ways that everyone can fight evil. In church a few weeks ago the pastor told of a woman who was just barely getting by raising her kids and seeing to her house. She didn't see how she could have the time, energy or other resources to address any of the incidents of injustice that we've learned about lately. I felt bad that she was even more weighed down now, with guilt this time. That's not right. She should feel that she has the power to do Something and that her "little" Something really matters.

Here's the start of a list of things that Anybody could do to fight evil. I don't think Anyone should feel like the list is exhaustive or in anyway a To Do list that you must do all of. It's brainstorming. Some ideas are good and some are good for Someone Else. I can't even claim that I do all the things on this list. They're just ideas. You can add your ideas in the comments section.

Read to your kids. Believe me, as a teacher, I promise you that this makes a difference in the world. Are there other kids around you that you can read to as well?

Send your kids to public school. Know the families that go there. Walk with them. Pray for them. Be a part of the School Family.

Is there a school in crisis that is on your regular drive? Can you find time to just sit outside it and pray for them? Maybe after awhile of doing that you'll see a "next step."

Don't have time to be a tutor of mentor kids? Offer to be a prayer partner for someone who is tutoring or mentoring.

Have a garage sale and give away the money. Just give away your stuff. Just buy less in the first place. Buy used things instead of new.

Be Greener than you are now. Issues of the environment are also issues of Social Justice. What's one non-green habit that you can exchange for a Green habit? Recycling? Buying Local? (I just "met" an Egg Girl, who is going to sell me the eggs from her own chickens. Yeah!) Drying your clothes on the line? Eat less meat? Where can you walk to that you now drive?

Is there gossip in your life that can end with you? That can end even without you hearing it?

Make choices that will intentionally put you "in the way" of people who are different from you racially, religiously, socially. It doesn't feel like doing something extra when you're just helping out a friend, a true friend.

I know this list isn't very long yet. But it's a start. I also know there are people who would tell me that doing all of these or any of these good things will not make you "right with God." I'm not saying they will. I'm saying that God cares about injustice and we should too. The "right with God" thing is such a can of worms that it needs a whole post or maybe a whole blog just for itself. Can we please not get side tracked from doing good to argue about another issue?

I was reading a part of one of my favorite non-fiction books, the Divine Conspiracy, and I thought Dallas Williard made a great point about why we do what is right, why we do what God says. He says that we do good not because God couldn't do it himself and not because God what's his way so badly. We do good because God is trying to make us into Someone, and every time we choose the good way God can make us into a Someone who can be at home in his Kingdom.

One last thing for anyone who still feels like their world is stressful enough and you don't have time for anyone else's issues. My sister spoke pretty convincingly to this on her blog last year. Check it out for yourself.
Link