So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them... God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very
good. (Genesis 1:27 & 31 NRSV)
I heard a joke this week where Susan said, "Phil, I heard you flew to California on vacation. I'll
bet that was great!" "No, Susan," Phil replied, "that was bad. I missed the bus from the airport."
"Oh," said Susan, "that's bad." "No," Phil replied, "that wasn't bad. I got a taxi, and the driver was
friendly." Susan said, "That's good." "No," said Phil, "that's bad. The taxi's transmission broke."
"Oh," said Susan, "that's bad!" "No," Phil replied, "that was good. The reverse gear still worked."
"Oh," Susan said, "that's good!" "No," said Phil, "that's bad. The driver decided to drive me all the
way to my hotel, backwards." "Wow!" Susan replied, "That's bad!" "No," said Phil, "that was
good. When we finally got to the hotel, the driver owed me six dollars and forty cents."
Our world is full of good and bad, righteousness and temptation. Jesus Christ calls us to live for
the good God has created in each one of us. Our call is to live as Jesus lived.
Prayer: Loving God, thank you for creating me to be good. Help me to live as Jesus
lived. Amen.
Ronald Newhouse, Texas, USA
Sunday, March 22, 1998