NOVEMBER 7, 2025

 “People who claim that they're evil are usually no worse than the rest of us... It's people who claim that they're good, or any way better than the rest of us, that you have to be wary of.” 

― Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

JEREMIAH 46-48

7Since you trust in your deeds and riches,

you too will be taken captive (48:7) 

HEBREWS 4

14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,^fJesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

JOURNAL 

JOURNAL
In Wicked, the so-called “Wicked Witch” is not truly wicked at all. She is different, misunderstood, and unwilling to conform to the shallow goodness of those around her. What the world calls evil often begins with courage, the courage to see differently, to challenge false systems of righteousness, to live authentically even when it invites rejection. Gregory Maguire wrote, “People who claim that they’re evil are usually no worse than the rest of us... it’s people who claim that they’re good, or any way better than the rest of us, that you have to be wary of.” That truth runs deep through Scripture, because even Jesus, the embodiment of divine goodness, was accused of being wicked. The Pharisees said He was possessed by Beelzebul (Mark 3:22). They could not understand the light He carried because it exposed their shadows. What they labeled as evil was, in fact, holy.

It is the same for us. When we live in the truth and love of God, we will be misunderstood. The world’s idea of good often depends on appearance, success, and control, but God’s goodness is rooted in surrender, humility, and grace. Jesus said, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except God alone” (Mark 10:18). In that one statement, He shattered the illusion that goodness can ever be self-made. It is only God’s presence within us that redeems our flawed motives and reshapes them into love.

Our struggle, then, is not proof of failure, it is evidence of transformation. Hebrews 4:15 reminds us that Jesus understands every temptation, every weariness, every ache of our hearts. He struggled too, and He did not sin. The struggle itself is not evil, it is the soil where faith grows, the furnace where false convictions burn away. When I face misunderstanding or rejection, I can remember that Christ endured the same. He was holy, yet the world saw Him as dangerous.

So I will embrace the struggle and thank God for it. I will trust that even when others see darkness, God may be shaping light. When I feel the pull of doubt or pain, I will approach His throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16), knowing He is not a distant judge but a compassionate friend. True holiness is not about appearing good, it is about staying near to the One who is good. And in that nearness, I can rest, misunderstood yet known, imperfect yet loved, weary yet unshaken.

18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 

MARK 10:18