Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.[1]

evil: n. the fact of suffering, misfortune, and wrongdoing

good: n. something that possesses desirable qualities, promotes success, health, or happiness, or is otherwise beneficial.

I pulled myself up off of the couch, where I had been languishing for most of the day. It was 2:00 in the afternoon, and I just awakened from my second nap. The first one started around 10 A. M., not long after I had crawled out of bed. When that did little to revive me, I conceded that, perhaps, I didn’t feel well, so I headed back for another go-around. This particular couch, while not the most comfortable to sit upon, ranks amongst the top in the world for napping—hence a ready go-to when my body and soul beg for rest and recuperation.

I probably should go buy some cold/flu medicine, I thought. My drug stash was minimal. All that remained were allergy meds and a few acetaminophen tablets. Something with some potency would be helpful in tackling my symptoms. Adding to the list, my milk had soured, and I needed a carton of palatable stuff for my cereal.

The grocery store parking lot was packed with cars when I pulled in. In addition to it being a busy Sunday, “the first of the month” had arrived, the day food vouchers become available.

My latest nap appeared to have helped. I headed from the car toward the front door of the store with my list in hand. Nearing the entrance, I walked past a small, unassuming, elderly gentleman with his cane, shuffling around uneasily. His bewildered, befuddled facial expression must have registered with me. I found myself turning around. I thought he might be waiting for someone to pick him up.

“Can I help you, sir?”

Very quietly he responded, “I don’t remember where I parked my car.” The angst and fear were palpable as I could sense panic taking hold—an elderly man, alone in a large parking lot, oblivious of where he had left his car.

A guy in his 40’s walking behind me must have overheard the conversation. “What kind of car are you driving?” he asked the gentleman.

“It’s a green Nissan pickup with a white canopy.”

I would have initiated a search by walking up and down each of the aisles in the parking lot. He, however, responded to the gentleman’s answer by jumping atop the metal rack that holds shopping carts, enabling him to have a birds’ eye view of the whole area. Looking specifically for a tell-tale white canopy, he quietly told me, “I don’t see anything anywhere.”

Another guy, perhaps a friend, joined in the search. The two of them found a green Nissan pickup in the far corner of the lot, but the canopy was green, not white. The white was on its hood. “Is that it?” they asked.

“Yes!” That was his truck.

“I shouldn’t have come at such a busy time,” he told me. And with a tone of resignation in his voice, overshadowed by fear–“I’m getting so forgetful.”

“It’s a big lot,” I told him. “I’ve lost track of where I’ve parked before too.”

The gentleman thanked the two men as he trekked off to his green Nissan, the one with a white hood, not a white canopy. I imagine he felt a deep sense of relief. I hope, as well, that he was comforted by the fact that two strangers cared enough to quickly come to his aid.

The guys who reconnected him with his truck continued on with their day, probably unaware of the impact they had on one man’s life. And I went in to do my shopping, heartened by an example of ordinary human decency.

Hatred and division fills my country, the United States of America. But today I witnessed an incident that did not reflect the influence of a particular ideology or political party. Right/left didn’t factor in. No one identified as conservative or progressive.

I had privy to encouraging evidence of common civility–people caring for other people. Two ordinary guys, with busy lives of their own, took the time to help a gentleman who could not help himself.

I have been given hope we won’t destroy one another and, in the process, destroy our country.

And THAT, I feel, is how we overcome evil . . . with good. It takes so little.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

                                                             Romans 12:32 _ESV

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[1] Romans 12:32 _ESV