Good Camouflaged

Good Camouflaged

A Lesson

Why search for the good in people? In Genesis 1:3 & 4 we read God said “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good . . .” In Genesis 1:11 & 12 we read God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: . . . And God saw that it was good. Jumping to Genesis 1:27 & 31 we read So God created man in his own image . . . God saw all that he had made and it was very good.

The will of God is to create things that are good. Man, male and female, are made in the image of God and thus have the capacity to do good things. Seeing good actions done by man may be considered as God acting through his creation. Given that man, male and female, are God’s image bearers and are seen by God as very good, it is reasonable to expect that man would do at least some good deeds. Therefore those image bearers should be treated with the utmost care, even those who do only a little good. Is this an impossible lesson to live up to?

In Baggage Burdens. a reader may find some characters are not very nice, not good. In deed some characters in the novel see other characters as bad, even evil. Jill sees her father, Frank, as evil. And Gertrude is not much better. As a reader you may well conclude that Jill’s actions often make her look bad. She herself doesn’t see herself a good, as worthy of receiving love. In the light of “A Lesson” above would you agree that such people are good, worthy of patience and hope?

Jill’s strong dislike for Frank is understandable after one reads how violent Frank is when he comes home drunk. Yet Kathy, Jill’s sister, experienced beatings too. However Kathy changes her mind about her father. Alice, Jill’s mother, not only tolerated Frank’s blistering behavior, but also still loved him. What good could possibly be seen in Frank?

In the early stages of Baggage Burdens., readers may find Jill an unlikeable person. They may wonder how can a writer dare to make such a person the protagonist.

Jill runs away from home leaving her mother must face Frank alone. Earlier Jill despised her sister for running away. Jill runs away from her grandmother who helps Jill survive. Jill uses Joseph, her husband, and manipulates him. Can you find any good in Jill to motivate you to pull for her to find a better life?

Think of a couple of individuals you find difficult. What redeeming quality do they have that does or may enable you to associate with them?

Nothing succeeds like success. Does this kernel of wisdom work? In Baggage Burdens. it is used as a motive for characters to continue to struggle. The next blog explores the nourishing spirit of this seed.