A few weeks ago someone got hold of my husband’s Social Security number, opened a joint bank account with him (without his knowledge), then accessed our main account and transferred all our assets elsewhere.
We found out within an hour, but the money was already gone. The bank says it will reinstate the assets once the theft has been proven.
It’s tempting to allow myself to be weighed down by this. We’ve spent hours upon hours undoing what one selfish person did, and the sense of violation is discouraging. Yet I remind myself that we’ve also met scores of good-hearted people as we’ve navigated the inner workings of the bank, the Social Security office and the police station.
Evil is never the whole story. It’s sometimes all we see, for a while. But it’s never all there is. I find this a comfort this week, as I contemplate the horrific events that took place in Newtown, Connecticut.
It is surely good and right to weep and mourn deeply over what is wrong with the world. But it is also good and right to remember all the rest, all the tremendous goodness and compassion and kindness and love. The Gospel doesn’t end at the slaughter of the innocents… unless we let it. Don’t let it.
