“Any Good News?”

Is there any good news today? It does seem that all we hear about is bad news. Even sports is contaminated with a “haze of politics  and anger”. I used to love watching my favorite team, rooting for them, always hopeful for better years to come. Bad news does tend to weigh you down.

In light of all that, I decided to google “Good News”. Is there any good news …. somewhere?  Well, I found “Good News Network”, who’s mission statement reads “since 1997, millions of people have turned to the Good News Network® as an antidote to the barrage of negativity experienced in the mainstream media. …. with its archive of 21,000 positive news stories from around the globe, confirms what people already know—that good news itself is not in short supply; the broadcasting of it is.” Hmmmm …..sounds pretty impressive. Looking at their “current news” , I found the following:

• “Maine becomes first U.S. state to make corporations pay for recycling if they don’t use sustainable packaging” 
• “Relator transformed an abandoned mobile home property into a village of tiny homes that provides permanent housing to the chronically disabled homeless.”
• “The Hyundai driver whose car tumbled over a Florida causeway into the Indian River in the middle of the night has a few Good Samaritans to thank for saving her life.”
• And a number of other human interest stories on pets, the climate, student debt….. 

All in all, there were some nice stories, some more compelling than others…yet, they didn’t reach very deep into my soul. I think our souls are only really touched by stories of love, of “agape love”, self-sacrificing love, costly love, Christian love.  

“Desmond Doss (1919 – 2006) was a combat medic with an infantry company in World War II. He was twice awarded the Bronze Star Medal for actions in Guam and the Philippines. Doss further distinguished himself in the Battle of Okinawa by saving 75 men, becoming the only conscientious objector to receive the  Medal of Honor for his actions during the war. His life has been the subject of books, the documentary The Conscientious Objector, and the 2016 Oscar -winning film Hacksaw Ridge.” I recently saw this movie and Doss’s self-sacrificing love was obvious… he was an exceptional man… his story stirred my soul. Christian love reflects the love of God. It can come in all shapes and sizes, but Christian love is powerful and compelling. 

So, while I’m happy to see various acts of “small g – good news”, it’s really acts of love that make up the authentic GOOD NEWS. The pinnacle of GOOD NEWS is the redemption of Jesus Christ on the cross. No matter the bad news that may receive most of the attention today, the good news of Jesus Christ is what ultimately matters…it’s what truly satisfies. You and I can participate in the sharing of this good news as we seek to do our small acts of kindness with God’s love.