“Do not let evil defeat [conquer; overcome] you, but defeat [conquer; overcome] evil by doing good.” (Ephesians 12: 21, Expanded Bible)

Sometimes it feels like the only way to combat the evil, the injustice, the darkness, we see in the world and in our personal lives, is to lash back in anger. Self-justification is alluring, and we may feel that our outrage is reasonable and necessary.

And yet, how much good does striking back, either literally or in our thoughts, really do us or anyone else? We can go into attack mode, and yet that leaves us fully engaged in conflict and hate when these are, in truth, the very things we likely oppose. Righteous anger seems honorable, but it should only motivate us to rise higher so that we may overcome not only the trouble we see, but the feelings within that are uncomfortable and unhealthy.

Let’s defeat the evil by doing good. Let’s remember that goodness and love have true healing power, and that while we can be alert to evil and ignorance, the solution is not to throw gasoline on the fire. Instead we can douse it with the cleansing grace of Love, kindness, gentleness. We honor God by relaxing our clenched fists and using them to hold a hand, caress an ache, and to uplift one another and by doing so, ourselves as well.

Would you like to explore ideas like these further and really incorporate them into your life? I offer one-on-one discovery sessions, designed to bring clarity and invite more joy and power and purpose into your life TODAY. I’d love to talk with you! Feel free to contact me at lauramoliter@gmail.com and I can tell you more.

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