When you encounter evil, do you recognize it when you see it? Although it’s easy to recognize full-blown evil actions when you see them, behaviors like lying, stealing, defiling, affairs and destruction are dead giveaways.
What’s hard to recognize is when you encounter evil in the early stages. In its’ early stages, evil doesn’t look so hideous or repulsive.
The lover doesn’t show their ‘true’ colors or controlling in the early seductive stage of an affair. You don’t see the dangers or extremes they go to until it’s too late.
Instead the potential affair comes across as something fun and stimulating. You may start thinking “Sure, it comes across as self-indulging, but what harm can a little selfishness do?” That little bit of selfishness progresses to greater and greater levels.
This is where things like ‘white lies’, hiding part of the truth or using double-meaning sexual jokes. This is where crossing lines regarding flirting and bragging start showing up.
These ‘little’ infractions grow in size and frequency. It turns into self-indulgence at the expense or disregard of others.
When allowed to continue growing, the selfishness turns into a devaluing and abusing of others so that the selfish one can have ‘fun’.
At this point, fun becomes a matter of perspective. For the selfish person, the devaluing is fun, but if you’re on the receiving end, it looks more like abuse.
Affairs start with attitudes containing hidden evils. The affair may not look evil when you first encounter it.
You may not even recognize evil at this point. Some people do not recognize evil until there are bruises, blood and lawyers involved.
It’s only at that point that your eyes are opened and you see the evil standing before you. At that point, you may ask “Why didn’t I see this before?” By then it’s too late.
The evil has grown so large, there’s little chance of turning things around. You may think that the amount of love you have is enough to ‘change’ them.
You may have a great capacity for love. Love has been known to bring about many changes.
No matter how much love you have, the reality that you need to face is that you are dealing with evil, whether it be evil intentions or a person who has become so infected with evil, that you can not separate them from the evil.
You can still love them, but you have to be honest with yourself. Acting like the evil is not there is only deluding yourself and allowing those around you, including yourself to be hurt.
In dealing with affairs, there are times that you have to recognize evil. You have to see it when it is in the early stages. The sooner you recognize it, the easier it will be to deal with.
Although dealing with ‘evil’ or calling things evil in this day and time is not popular, it’s honest. There is evil.
Evil is something that you have to confront. It is not “just a matter of opinion” or “perspective”. What’s evil is evil. Changing perspectives on it doesn’t make it go away or make it tolerable.
If you need help in recognizing affairs for what they are and recover from their effects, join the support community at Restored Lifestyle. There you can share with others and regain your awareness of what’s evil and what’s good.
Best Regards,
Jeff
One Response
Amen….!!