There is no doubt our world has gone mad.  We see one thing after another that shocks, disables and paralyzes us.  We could get wrapped up in the negativity.  We might go on a rampage and start sputtering words of anger and hate.  We might give up and believe there is no hope for our nation.

When you’re in the throes of great trouble and anxiety, it’s time to kick yourself in the pants and change your attitude.  One way is to avoid the negativity.  We can’t completely obliterate the news from our lives.  We can choose to believe what we hear and read, or become skeptical about everything.  We can  close the blinds on the world or we can become active in the solutions.

Wear a mask.  Wash your hands.  Stay six feet apart.  Don’t sing, pontificate or participate in long face to face conversations.  Spit happens.  As a theatre instructor, I’ve seen much of it flying off a stage.  I once had a history teacher who spewed saliva over his class as he relived the Civil War while standing on his desk.  I was the recipient of much of that spit, but I digress.

We’re told how to vote, who to vote for, why we should vote and I find it amusing that we’re already down to only two choices.  Is that even fair?  But I digress again.

Our world has been a constant state of flux since the first couple decided to disobey God.  However, even way back then, we were given a promise by our Creator.  He made a covenant with man to send a Messiah – a Redeemer – a Savior to take our place and forgive all our wrongdoings.

Today the idea of a scapegoat carries a negative definition.  The term is often used in bullying.  We don’t like the word “sin” either, because we don’t believe we’re that bad.  Churches that remind us of our sinfulness are simply out of date.

The truth is, sin is not dead.  All you have to do is look at the state of our world today to see that.  Man’s inhumanity against man – injustice – racism and all the other isms that will remain with us until the end of our lives.  True peace will only come when we pass through the portal between life and death.

So what do we do in the meantime?  There are so many opinions on that subject, but the one that remains as a “too simple” solution, has been available to mankind from the beginning.  All we must do, is believe that God has kept His promise.  Man in his prideful nature believes that’s way too easy.  We have to be involved somehow.  Don’t our good works make a difference?  Are we merely puppets going through the motions that God has designed for His pleasure?

Our God is a fearful judge, but He’s also a loving Father who is totally in love with us.  His love is unconditional, yet we continue to get in His way by trying to handle things alone.

When we let pride get in the way of our relationship with our Creator, we lose.  When we allow Him to do the work He intended for us, we win.  It’s as simple as that.