Superbowl Christmas Game: Good vs. Evil

My sister says that every time you try to do something good, beware. The devil throws road blocks. I’ve come to believe there is truth in this. I thought I was ready for it yesterday—as our little family trio set out for my favorite Christmas tradition, “Acts of Kindness Day.” I just didn’t expect the darkness to begin to steal my Christmas joy.

I schedule our annual Acts of Kindness Day outing smack-dab in the busiest part of the season—when we are all likely to be caught up in the frenzy of what we have to buy, what we want to get, and what we have to bake, wrap or do. Family participation is required. (Insert lots of eye-rolling, tongue clicking and whining here.) Then, we load up on supplies and head out. But this year, it seemed that each time we stopped to do a kind deed, we noticed some sly little act of evil happening nearby. It was my husband who noted that maybe the devil was trying to thwart our efforts. It was starting to feel like a game of good versus evil.

We walked into a store in a poor part of town to accidentally drop some change and dollar bills (lots in the toy aisle) and found a woman arguing with the young male cashier. She was doing a verbal version of the shell game, combining it with multiple purchases—then bullying the guy into giving her change she wasn’t owed. I didn’t realize what was going on until after she flew out the door with a handful of ones. The poor cashier was muttering, “I shouldn’t have done that. She totally confused me. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m gonna get in trouble.” Score: 1 pt. for good (our change). 1 pt. for evil (theft).

Next stop was the humane society. We dropped off cans of cat food (donation) and visited the dogs, stroked the kitties and talked about someday owning a big farm and adopting them all. As we left, an old shepherd mix sat alone in an outdoor holding pen, crying in the cold. “That’s the saddest wail I’ve ever heard,” Tom said. We tried to console her, but she ran from one end of the pen to the other as if she was searching for someone or something. “Why is she out here?,” we asked one of the workers. “Someone just dumped her here, out by the road a couple of hours ago.” We left feeling deflated. Score: 1 pt. for good (cat food donation). 1 pt for evil (lack of compassion for God’s creatures).

We forged on through our day, joking about how we weren’t going to let anything or anyone suck the happiness from our “joy wagon.” We bought a fast food drive-thru lunch for a young mom and her son; dropped off t-shirts and cookies at the police and fire stations; dropped more change at the grocery; took cookies to the library staff and fruit to a homebound woman, and left a big tip for our waitress at lunch. Score: Good – 6 pts. Overall, it was a fun day—but left me feeling a little disappointed in mankind.

In reality, I think my funk was ignited three days ago when I overheard an acquaintance telling someone that he and his wife “do” an Advent calendar with their kids. “The kids love getting the treat each day, but they don’t understand what it’s really about—a countdown until Santa arrives.” Oh boy, I thought. We’re in trouble. Score: Evil – 1 pt.

The combination of all these incidents left me feeling sad. This is the Christmas season, after all. Whatever happened to “Good will towards men?” I started thinking about how many people are out there in the world, that don’t know or chose to acknowledge the REAL reason for the season. That was a big hope-stealer. Score: Evil – 1 pt.

So, I went to talk to the BOSS about all this today, at church. I prayed that we might all remember to keep the Christ in Christmas. I prayed that He might make us all realize that when you take all the pretty packages and toys away, all that we have is each other. And Him. And hope. I asked that He might give us a bigger edge in this Superbowl Christmas game of Good versus Evil. I’m no quarterback, but I’m willing to punt. I just need my Coach to guide me.

As the crowded mass dispersed, we stepped out onto the front steps and turned up our collars to the cold. Some guy drove by in his beat-up old Pontiac, leaned out his open window and screamed profanity at us all … ‘GO TO HELL, YOU X@$&$& &#(@(+_!!” Then he laughed and drove away. Score: Evil – 1 pt.

But, then I heard my Coach say, “There are about 1,000 people leaving this mass with you. There were two services before you and one more after you—each with about the same number of believers. And that’s just in one church. On one day. In one tiny city in Ohio. In one country. In a big world.” I smiled to myself. Score: Good – 3 billion pts. Plus the hopeful promise of many, many more to come. This game’s not over yet.