Rashional Thoughts: Difficulty of the darkness hovering around us, pressing in on us has no chance against the Light within us

At press time for this issue of The Alabama Baptist (TAB), an endless stream of concerns, debates and ideas circled nonstop in my mind as I attempted to pinpoint the most timely news or life issue to cover. 

Nationally, a fresh and fierce debate over abortion has erupted and Alabama is among states at the center of the strategy.

Statewide, the thoughts of a lottery and other possible gambling expansions have several people and entities wanting a piece of the pie. At the same time opposing forces are working endlessly to remind citizens of the social ills that come with any form of gambling.  

Politically, the rhetoric between the two main parties continues to provide a daily dose of hate and anger — almost as if they think we enjoy the ugliness.

Denominationally, internal conflict is brewing — and unlike the major fight 30 years ago, the current arguments are playing out over social media and blog posts.  

If all of that weren’t enough, then news reports from a variety of faith-based media outlets (including TAB) and the mainstream media have us thinking about topics such as: believers being persecuted for their faith, religious liberty fights nationally and internationally, how to handle illegal immigration in the U.S., how Christians can exist godly and neighborly in a society with same-sex couples and families, strife in the Middle East, random plane and helicopter crashes, flooding, tornadoes, drive-by shootings, college bribery scandals, etc.

I’m confident you can fill in the blank with a dozen other situations happening all around us.

Some days it seems impossible to push through all the darkness, but I hope your partnership with TAB and Alabama Baptists in general will help you stay encouraged. We need each other for support and to be reminded light will always pierce the darkness. 

For those of us who know Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, we can have confidence that no matter how difficult or discouraging the world around us becomes, we possess the ultimate Light.

And there’s no defeating Him — now or ever. 

If you don’t know Jesus, then let us tell you about Him. There’s plenty of room to join us.