Let Goodness Be Our Motivation

“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21, KJV

I did not sleep at all last night. From November 3 into the early hours of November 4, I sat on the edge of my bed, watching the news as the election results kept rolling in. I was waiting for the blue wave. I prayed, watched, and hoped we would see a country reaching for goodness, justice, and compassion.

Then I heard Sean Hannity say on Fox News, “Hatred is a hell of a motivator.” He was talking about hostility toward Donald Trump as an explanation for Republican losses.
I sat with that for a moment. He was right that hatred can motivate. We have seen what hatred can do when it is given a microphone, when it is encouraged, and when it finds its way into policies that hurt people. We have seen families carry the weight of decisions made by people who may never have to live with the consequences.

But sitting there on the edge of my bed, I felt hope. I thought about people going to the polls with their children and grandchildren in mind. People worried about their neighbors. People who want to afford their groceries, care for their families, and live with some peace. People who still believe we have a responsibility to one another.

I cannot tell you what was in every voter’s heart. I can tell you what was in mine. I wanted to see us turn away from hatred and move toward goodness. I wanted fairness to matter. I wanted compassion to have a place in the decisions that shape our lives. And I wanted us to remember that behind every policy, a person will have to live with it.

As I thought about all of that, these words from Romans came to me: “Overcome evil with good.” That Scripture asks something of us. It calls us to stand against cruelty and pay attention to what is happening in our own hearts. We can speak firmly. We can name injustice. We can hold people accountable. And through it all, we are still called to recognize the humanity of the person before us.

I know that can be difficult, especially when people are hurting. Yet this is where our faith has to guide us. God calls us to practice goodness, even when we are tired, angry, or disappointed. That goodness has work to do. It feeds a hungry child. It welcomes someone who has been pushed aside. It stands beside a family trying to make ends meet. It asks, “Who is hurting, and what can I do to help?”

Those questions remain with us after the votes are counted. We still have neighbors to care for and promises to hold our leaders to. We still need to ask whose burdens are being eased, whose voices are being heard, and who is being left behind.

That is my prayer this morning: that our policies begin to reflect our capacity for fairness and compassion. May the hope we carried to the ballot box find its way into our classrooms, our communities, our budgets, and our laws. May people experience some relief because we chose to care.

And as we keep doing this work, we will need stubborn optimism, resilience, and an appreciation for delicate beauty in a changing climate. We will need to notice the people who keep showing up, the kindness that still finds us, and the small signs of life growing around us. I see something sacred in people who have been through so much and still have tenderness to offer. Their faithfulness gives me hope.

I spent the night on the edge of my bed waiting for a wave. This morning, I am asking God to help us carry that hope into the way we live. May we have the courage to keep showing up for one another. May goodness continue to motivate us and guide our choices, and may compassion shape what comes next.

Pray with me: God of mercy, hold our weary hearts and keep our hope alive. Let the suffering of our neighbors move us to act. Guide our leaders toward justice, and give us courage to keep loving as we overcome evil with good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by Rev. Kay Dubuisson