Lessons from the Pavement #3: Bad is Good

Ok, I tend to write long blog posts as you may know. And while I love those, it tends to deter my motivation to continue to blog because I just don’t have 2 hours every day to write those incredibly awesome blog posts. And as I observe my boyfriend practicing how to write blog posts in 15 minutes, I envy him and have decided that I’m going to try and do the same, though it may take some time. Here’s his blog by the way, which is also part of his business; you should check it out 🙂

One last thing before I get to the point of this post. If any of you try to search on my blog for a “Lesson’s from the Pavement #1,” you won’t find it. I know, it confused me too. I didn’t realize that my first one was actually a little tweet on my Twitter account. So without further ado, here is #1:

Lesson from the pavement (#1): persevere and suddenly you realise it’s a little easier today than yesterday. #exercise #AIT

Now then, on to #3!

Bad is Good

There is no bad, only good. “Bad” is simply a word that describes the absence of good. So if you only see the bad, then you are not looking hard enough for the good. 

I think God likes to give me little phrases of wisdom, wit, and whimsy. And since I’ve finally started walking again regularly, and because I intentionally do not listen to music or books while I’m exercising, it tends to be the perfect time for me to listen for God.  That’s why you see that phrase indented and bolded. That’s almost exactly how the thought crossed my mind. And I know why too. It’s in relation to having just finished The Shack, which is an excellent book. I would highly recommend it. 

We know that Goodness, Truth, and Love exist because God is those things. That is His very being. So then where does evil come from? Why are there “bad” things in the world? First of all, describing things as “bad” or “good” is completely subjective. It is good for me to have peanuts because they are tasty and nutritious. It is bad for another person because they are allergic. See? What is “good” for me can be “bad” for another person. So the question is, does “bad” or “evil” really exist? Is it not simply the absence of absolute goodness, truth, and love? That’s what God is. God is absolute, and absolutely good. “Bad” and “evil” are just words that describe the absence of Good–the absence of God. You may have seen this argument below, but this supposed conversation between a professor and possibly Albert Einstein really makes you think concerning the presence of “bad/evil”: 

This has a thought provoking message no matter how you believe. Does evil exist?

The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists?
A student bravely replied yes, he did!”
“God created everything?” The professor asked.
“Yes, sir,” the student replied.

The professor answered, “If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil.”
The student became quiet before such an answer.

The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, “Can I ask you a question professor?” “Of course”, replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, “Professor, does cold exist?”

“What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?” The students snickered at the young man’s question.

The young man replied, “In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody and every object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (- 460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have too little heat.

The student continued. “Professor, does darkness exist?”

The professor responded, “Of course it does”.

The student replied, “Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton’s prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn’t this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present.”

Finally the young man asked the professor. “Sir, does evil exist?”

Now uncertain, the professor responded, “Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. “These manifestations are nothing else but evil.”

To this the student replied, “Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love, that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.”

The professor sat down.

The young mans name — Albert Einstein

Now, whether this was actually Albert Einstein, I don’t know, and I don’t really care. It makes a valid point either way. And that is what brings me back to my original statement. Bad does not exist; evil does not exist. They are just words. And even in the most terrible situations, if you look hard enough, if you trust God and remember He is in control and His will is being done, you will see His Good in the end. Because God is Good and God is Love, and He is especially fond of you. 

So look harder. Good is there. 

I welcome your comments! Please share your thoughts on this topic!