by Kevin Schwendeman

Created on: September 04, 2008

Poverty, war, disease, loneliness, depression. It seems inevitable that we or someone we know will be affected by bad things. Part of our human nature is drawn to these as a moth to a flame. We are compelled to watch the train crash. When confronted with the evils of the world it is a daunting task to rise above them. A task that is the fine line between pure joy and utter sadness. We fall on either side of this line every day and, more often than not, we find ourselves focusing on the sadness. However, as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining.

Just as we are prone to doom and gloom, we are also a resilient and ever-hopeful race. Embedded within the human spirit is a resiliency to the ills of this world, a basic belief that good can and does happen. We call it by many names: faith, hope, ingenuity, resourcefulness. These are driving forces in our lives; the tools that help us see the good in man.

This all sounds well and good, but how do we bring these intangibles into our daily lives? How can we overcome the doubtful tides that slowly erode our shores? The answer lies in a precious gift given to all from the beginning of time: choice. Free will has given us the ability to decide how we view, act and react to the events of our lives. We can either lament or rejoice. Yes, even in tragedy.

The family of faith that loses a daughter to a tragic accident can fall into despair, failing one another or they can lift each other up and recognize that good does not always happen in the way we wish. Sometimes good is beyond our meager understanding, but with faith and hope we can choose to see that the loss here on earth is for the glory in heaven.

When a debilitating disease robs a young woman of her limbs she can wallow in self pity, or rise above it on the ingenuity and resourcefulness of those who came before. She can walk, run and drive again. Choosing to courageously walk on the new and unexpected path before her, she can become an example, teacher and beacon for all around her.

There is good in this world. There is kindness. There is joy. It is up to each of us to choose to find it. Once enabled, the human spirit is a force to be reckoned with. The evils of this world work to shroud the good from our sight and sentence us to despair. But each day the sun rises is another day to choose the goodness of our hopes and dreams.

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