From Where I Sit
An Editorial by Dale Jacobs
I have to be honest. The
release of Darkness Before Dawn — the series of radio dramas based on
recent events around our town — makes me a little uneasy. Why? Well, like a
lot of folks around Odyssey, I guess I'm still wrestling with the question:
how could it happen here? It was unthinkable. Vandalism, robbery, political
scandal, mudslinging and conspiracy are the kinds of things that
happen somewhere else. At least, that's what I used to believe. But now that
it has happened here, I must sadly resign myself to the fact that we've
joined the long list of towns who have felt the pain of corruption.
But the fact that it has
happened still doesn't address the question: how could it happen
here? The more I ponder the question, the more the answer becomes quite
clear to me. How? Because our town is made up of human beings and, in spite
of what so-called modern thinkers want to believe, humans, by their very
nature, comprise a fallen race. Since Adam, we have battled against our
darker selves. History is full of the true nature of man — and it ain't all
sweetness and light. For all of the goodness we show to each other as
neighbors and friends, there lurks a deeper, sinister force that would like
to consume us if it could. Call it what you want, but reliable sources over
the years have called it Sin. What happened to us happened because we are
Sinful creatures.
Fortunately, there are people
in our town who represent a greater force than our nature; people who know
that in their human weakness can be found an extra-human strength. That
strength isn't based on anything man can conjure up (no psychological
sleight of hand or "religious" rabbits out of a hat), but on the power of
the One who sacrificed Himself to free us from our sinful nature: Jesus
Christ. I'm not one to get preachy in my editorials, but it's time we owned
up to our true selves and opened the way for Someone more powerful to take
control.
So, the question isn't "how
could it happen here?" but, all things considered, "why hasn't it happened
more often?" Meanwhile, we can only hold our breath and wait for the
unthinkable to happen again.
This
article originally appeared in "The Odyssey Times," a
special fictional newspaper produced by Focus on the Family to promote
Adventures in Odyssey.
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