Obsessing over past evils that you can't change
Recently, I was on Quora when I came across a very interesting topic. The question that was posted was, “If you lived during the Holocaust, do you think you would have saved Jewish people?” As I read through the posts, I thought the discussion was interesting but ultimately missing the point.
Hindsight is always 20/20. Instead of looking back, and looking over the atrocities of the past, isn’t it better to look around you to see what evils there are today and what you can do about them?
Of all the evils in the catalog of human history, the Holocaust ranks among the most disgusting and abhorrent. But truth be told, there is nothing that you or I can do about it. We can’t travel back in time to prevent the Armenian Genocide or the Rape of Nanking. We cannot do anything about the Transatlantic Slave Trade. We are helpless against the evil monstrosities conducted by Nero, Ivan the Terrible, Vlad The Impaler, and Idi “The Butcher of Uganda” Amin.
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It is always easy to look back at the generations of old and turn our noses up at them for doing nothing in the face of evil. It’s easy to look down on and point the finger at those who stood idly by and said nothing about the malevolent deeds that were taking place right around them.
However, there are current evils that you and I can and must fight back against.
Recently, there has been a major shift in the discussion about the history of American slavery. There was so much talk about how terribly American slaves were treated. But where is that same energy when it comes to today’s slavery issue? According to the Global Slavery Index, in 2018, there were more than 40 million slaves. That number is three times greater than the number of slaves captured and sold between 1500 and 1875. In the history of the world, the $150 billion slavery industry has never been more profitable.
Instead of shaking our fists at the dead evil plantation owners of the past and tearing down statues that are found to be offensive, how about speaking up and fighting back against the very much alive and thriving slave industry of today?
In regard to genocide, we all hate the evil that occurred during the Holocaust which led to the deaths of millions of people. We all abhor the decimation from the Joseph Stalin-induced Holodomor of Ukraine that caused millions to starve to death. There are many tears and there is much righteous anger about these events.
But are you upset and doing anything about the 73 million baby murders that take place annually around the globe? That is close to the number of deaths China’s Mao Zedong is responsible for. That is more than the combined populations of California and Texas.
My favorite heroine of the Bible is Esther. Esther risked her life to stop the evil annihilation of the Jews. She stopped Haman, the Adolf Hitler of her day, and his schemes by overcoming fear and anxiety and entered King Ahasuerus’ presence uninvited. What courage and bravery from an ordinary orphan girl.
However before she mustered up the courage to do what was right, Esther was terrified. Although she had every right to be scared, her cousin, Mordecai, told her that maybe God had made her queen “for such a time as this.”
While Mordecai mobilized the Jews to fast and pray, Esther took a risk by taking action. God allowed Esther to find favor in the eyes of King Ahasuerus over all the other women to become the next queen. She used her position to attempt to stop the pending evil.
Dear reader, God doesn’t make mistakes. You are not in the wrong era. You were not meant to be born during the Byzantine era, the Crusades or the Enlightenment. You are alive here and now for such a time as this. Thinking about past evils and contemplating what you would have or not have done isn’t helpful. What are you doing about the evils that are taking place in your lifetime?
I recently visited Pastor Robert Morris’ Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas. He was speaking on purpose and he said something that has really stuck with me since. He said, “Most people are thinking my gift is leadership, so I’ll wait for someone to give me a position of leadership and then I will lead. No! Lead now, then someone will give you a position of leadership. Lead where you are.”
In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus shares the parable of the talents. In the story, before the master goes away to travel, he gives his three servants different amounts of money to use. Two of the servants flourished in their responsibilities, but one failed miserably.
Eventually, the master returned, just as Jesus will.
The master commended the first two servants. The first two worked with what they had. The first two used what was available to them. They didn’t wait for someone else to do something. They took ownership of what was given and did their very best.
The last servant operated out of fear. He did nothing. He sat on his hands and did nothing with what he was given. He literally buried what he was responsible for. The master, rightfully, ripped him a new one.
This parable isn’t necessarily about money, but about stewardship. God has put something on the inside of all of us so that we might be used for His glory. You and I have something that God wants us to do for Him.
What are you doing with the opportunities and gifts God has given you? Are you being active or are you sitting idly by? Are you speaking against the rampant satanic infanticide in this country or are you just praying that someone else steps up to the plate? Are you fighting against the demonic gender ideology of the Left or are you pretending the issue will evaporate into the ether?
This is not to put down prayer and fasting. This is simply to emphasize the importance of speaking out and taking action.
God doesn’t do things by accident. He doesn’t make mistakes. He placed you in this day and time for a reason. You are here for such a time as this.
Solomon Green is the Opinion Manager of The Christian Post. His writings can be found on Thinkspot, Merion West, The Christian Post, and Medium. Send op-eds to: [email protected]
