Dear Friends,
When I was a kid nobody died. Every Saturday, I would go to the Beverly Theater in Northeast Washington, D.C. where my heroes would fight valiantly against the forces of evil, only to be caught in a life-threatening dilemma at the end of the serial. No matter how hopeless their situation seemed, I could go home confident that the next Saturday they would be rescued and resume the fight. That was an age of innocence.
I’m not sure when innocence died. It may have been when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Perhaps it was dealt a fatal blow by the horrible videos that became part of the nightly news during the Vietnam War. I’m not sure when, but I just know that, for me, innocence died; and the steady stream of violence that permeates this generation’s nightly newscasts, video games, movies, and crime dramas does a good job of making sure that no one can pull the nails from innocence’s coffin.
Like the Psalmist, we want to cry out, “Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure— you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts. Psalm 7:9 (NIV)
But then we have to ask, “Who is righteous?” When I probe my own mind and heart, I realize that a by-product of the death of innocence is the birth of the sentiment called “schadenfreude” – pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.
This feeling is not new to our generation. We read in the Book of Job, “The righteous will be happy to see the wicked destroyed, and the innocent will laugh in contempt. They will say, ‘See how our enemies have been destroyed. The last of them have been consumed in the fire.’”
Job 22:19:20 (NLT)
The problem is that more and more our definition of “enemy” has been broadened to include anyone who has a different opinion from our own. When we start taking delight in the misfortune of another child of God, we’ve crossed a line. Anyone who listens to cable news or talk radio knows what I’m talking about. Guilty as charged.
Perhaps we should make it a habit to heed the counsel of Psalm 37:7-9: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
Controlling schadenfreude is not easy for me. I do cheer when I see a video of ISIS terrorists being killed in a drone strike, and it’s hard to hold back a fist pump when I see a corrupt politician get hoisted on their own petard.
Reading Psalm 37 may not be enough. I need to remind myself of Jesus’ words in
Matthew 5:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Being a Christian sure isn’t easy!
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 