There is always good. Even when we can\u2019t see it, even when times are uncertain, there is always good. We are created in the image of One who loves us like crazy no matter what; hence, I will always say, there is always good\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2026 like the friend of a friend who was released from the hospital yesterday, after weeks on a respirator, wrestling with COVID-19\u2026 multiple days were touch and go. (Note: according to the John Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard, as of Monday, 187,180 have actually recovered from the virus!)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 like the \u201cAdopt a Senior\u201d projects around the country, where individuals and families pick a high school senior to affirm and spoil, knowing the traditional pomp and circumstance will not occur, sweetly brightening their days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 like Andrea Pien, a 33-year-old college counselor at a San Francisco high school\u2026 while still working and receiving a salary during the shut down, a while back she received a substantial inheritance from her father\u2019s professional success. She tweeted to her neighbors that if money was tight and they needed some food or supplies right now, let her know. \u201cI will send you 20 dollars, no questions asked.\u201d No questions asked!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, there still exists bad\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 like the COVID cases that continue to exist\u2026 as of Monday night, there are now 1,180,288 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and 68,922 deaths. Also according to the Dashboard, the mortality rate among confirmed cases is 5.8%. (Note: the true mortality rate is believed to be lower, but \u201cit\u2019s impossible to determine precisely due to incomplete testing regimens.\u201d)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 like the political polarization of the current scenario\u2026 politics pales in comparison to what we as a country most need to do: bond together, recognize our humanity \u2014 which is what we most have in common \u2014 so we can craft a viable path forward. As former Pres. George W. Bush tweeted over the weekend, \u201cLet us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat. In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants. We are human beings, equally vulnerable, and equally wonderful, in the sight of God. We rise or fall together, and we are determined to rise.\u201d Indeed. Let us remember how small our differences are. When we instead choose to magnify them, we play into the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 like the media bias and hypocrisy\u2026 the clich\u00e9 is true that \u201cI\u2019ve said it before and I\u2019ll say it again\u201d\u2026 the media has an agenda. Pick your subject. Pick your source. Watch how the angle changes pending who\/what is involved. I often wonder whether we really watch the news primarily to confirm what we want to believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then there is the ugly\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Actually, as a person who sincerely wishes to wrestle with reality but simultaneously focus on all that is good and right and true, I\u2019m hesitant to give \u201cthe ugly\u201d a shout out; it seems unworthy of acknowledgement. What am I not paying any attention to because it doesn\u2019t fit with the narrative I want to believe? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026however good, bad or ugly? A wise friend asked me the other day if I\u2019ve changed my mind on anything recently; it\u2019s a fantastic question. Hard, too, I must admit. Sometimes I insulate myself and my opinions by surrounding myself with sources, souls, and stories that only reinforce what I want to feel or already believe. That insulation is so convenient\u2026 it means I don\u2019t have to grow or change my mind on anything!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n But what if what that really identifies is not an honorable passion or loyalty within me? What if instead it reveals my own lack of humility? \u2026 that I\u2019m unwilling<\/em> to wrestle with reality?<\/p>\n\n\n\n And maybe, just maybe, today that\u2019s the ugly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026 always\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There is always good. Even when we can\u2019t see it, even when times are uncertain, there is always good. We are created in the image of One who loves us like crazy no matter what; hence, I will always say, there is always good\u2026 \u2026 like the friend of a friend who was released from … <\/p>\n
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\nYet I will say in recent weeks I\u2019ve wondered what we\u2019re turning a blind eye to. What are we ignoring \u2014 perhaps included in the good and bad above \u2014 in order to believe what we want to, feel what we want to, or be loyal to what we wish? What are we missing?
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