There's nothing new about the news

"that righteous man, dwelling among them..."

2 Peter 2:8

See anything interesting on the news lately?  I saw a U.S. soldier receiving a Medal of Honor today.  William "Kyle" Carpenter got between a grenade and a fellow soldier in Afghanistan in 2010.  Today he has multiple scars and a glass eye, along with other "mementos" of his heroism.

photo credit: aol.com

He also has a very sweet smile.  Made me feel proud and happy, all at the same time.

photo credit: palmbeachtimes.com

Plus, he looks a little like my brother-in-law.

I also saw, on the news today, updates on the IRS scandal, the rescue of a caver in Germany, and the election of the new House Majority Leader.  All interesting stuff.

But you know what was an interesting story?  How about this:  a principal in New York who wrote a letter to his graduating seniors to be printed in the yearbooks.  Only trouble was, he plagiarized sections from another principal's letter.  So his letter congratulated students from the wrong school.

A principal.  It was one of those stories that made me say, "What is wrong with people??"

I tell you what I didn't see on the news today:  any of those stories about the terrible things that people do to other people.  I'm pretty sure those things happened, but I don't like hearing about it, so I avoid those news stories.

Pretending that those kinds of things aren't happening helps my daily happiness level, but in a way, maybe it's a form of denial.  After all, I still know that terrible things are going on. 

I thought about this today, and it made me think of Lot, in the Book of Genesis.   Chapter 19 tells us of his trying to intervene when the men of his town were sinning.  2 Peter 2 tells us that Lot was not only righteous, but oppressed by the wicked conduct around him.

Lot was tormented by what he saw and heard.  Am I?  Generally not.  I turn my head to a lot of it, and for much of the rest, I roll my eyes and chalk it up to the state of the world we're in.  I have no outrage, and I'm certainly not tormented.

It bothers me how little I'm bothered.  And I wonder if I've just got my eyes on this world too much.  It's what's normal to me.  And maybe if I thought about heaven a little more, thought about God's standard, then I'd be horrified and offended by what going on here, whether halfway around the world, or in my community.  It's just another way of wanting what He wants.

~ "The Lord is righteous,

    and my people and I are wicked." ~

Exodus 9:27

~