All faithful Christians should understand the evil involved in falsifying that which is good. Christians should filter all they see and hear through the Scriptures (1 John 4:1). However, we know that not all Christians will. Isaiah stated that we are to be aware of those who refer to that which is evil as good (Isaiah 5:20). When our own brethren justify and condone wickedness, they must recognize that they have become an abomination to God (Proverbs 17:15).

Many within the church, and most outside the church, have a difficult time determining the difference between good and evil. This inability to discern the difference between good and evil, results in many men and women choosing evil instead of good. Much of this is the result of their refusal to accept the most readily available standards of the Holy Scriptures (Hosea 4:6).

The transition from good to evil in society is not always easily discernable. A twilight zone of shifting shadows of continually changing definitions can produce a problem. When we step out of the sunlight and into the shadows we pass through a penumbral zone (an area of partial shade). In this murky light we hear disturbing and confusing terminology. Individuals or groups of people are referred to as savage, subhuman, or animal. The mental state that would cause us to use such terms to refer to people stems from a lack of Bible knowledge (Genesis 1:26).

Students of history recognize that the classification of people as animals, is something that has occurred many times in the past. The indigenous people of North and South America, as well as Africa,were called “savages” and were enslaved or killed. The influence of Darwinian thought upon societies in the late 1800’s led to changes in economics, racism, warfare, and business. Of particular influence was the idea of “survival of the fittest.”

Racism is an example of how good was falsified in the last century. The idea of one race being superior to another race is a product of Darwinian biological theory. Most biologists would say this was an aberration of a sound theory. John West wrote a book entitled,Darwin’s Day in America. In his book, he shows that the  promotion of  the concept of some so-called superior race has happened far too many times for it to be an aberration. In fact, racism appears to be a common factor in the pernicious theory of Darwinian evolution. The Lord said that we shall know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:18). The fruits of this theory are the deaths of millions of people in the twentieth century. Sadly, our culture today still embraces this theory even though history has shown us the evil and ugly outcome.

How is it that so much evil can be presented as being good? How can those who are killing people pass off their actions as moral? Buchner and Haeckel, along with other scientists, physicians, and intellectuals in Germany set the stage. Buchner was a doctor who fostered the taking of life for the good of the people, despite the Hippocratic Oath he had taken. He was the most influential popularizer of Darwin’s theory in Germany. With his materialistic and atheistic tract, Force and Matter, Buchner influenced both young and old with his evolutionary views. In the 1890’s this dangerous tract went through fifteen editions in Germany and four in England.

Ernst Haeckel was a scientist and one of the earliest converts to Darwinism. Haeckel’s drawings of the embryonic development of animals have been used by many as proof of Darwin’s theory. However, Haeckel’s drawings have been shown to have been falsified. Although Haeckel falsified his drawings, they can still be found in many college and high school biology textbooks. This is a good example of the falsification process. In this case falsified data has been used to spread evil.

The idea of survival of the fittest fanned the flames of anti-Semitism in Germany. The Germans intended to rid Germany of Jewish population “for the health of the nation.” In the 1800’s and 1900’s these efforts were referred to as “racial hygiene.” In addition, the Germans considered the Slavic race as sub-human and determined they should be eliminated. In Poland alone some three million “Christians” and three million Jews were methodically executed in the “final solution.”

Sadly, even Christian theologians were used to implement this falsification. Harmack, a German theologian wrote the book, The Essence of Christianity. In this book he traced “the essence of Christianity” through four historical stages: Jewish, Greek, Roman, and German. The German race was put forth as the purest fulfillment of the essence of man. He further argued that this essence could not exist in pairs, consequently there could only be one elect people: Germans. This was used to show that the cleansing of the lesser races was justified in the same way God’s command to clear Canaan was justified (Deuteronomy 31:3). He concluded that just as the Jews cleansed and purified Canaan, so too, the Germans must cleanse and purify the earth of lesser races.

It is important to note that Wahhabism of Islam preaches the purification of Islam by the removal of the infidels. Therefore the falsification of the good is alive and well today. We did not defeat or remove its presence with the defeat of Nazi Germany in WWII, or with the fall of Communism.

As we confront the evils of Neo-Darwinism, secularism, communism, and Islam, let us never forget the words which God spoke through Isaiah the prophet so long ago. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 4:20).

 All faithful Christians should understand the evil involved in falsifying that which is good. Christians should filter all they see and hear through the Scriptures (1 John 4:1). However, we know that not all Christians will. Isaiah stated that we are to be aware of those who refer to that which is evil as good (Isaiah 5:20). When our own brethren justify and condone wickedness, they must recognize that they have become an abomination to God (Proverbs 17:15).

Many within the church, and most outside the church, have a difficult time determining the difference between good and evil. This inability to discern the difference between good and evil, results in many men and women choosing evil instead of good. Much of this is the result of their refusal to accept the most readily available standards of the Holy Scriptures (Hosea 4:6).

The transition from good to evil in society is not always easily discernable. A twilight zone of shifting shadows of continually changing definitions can produce a problem. When we step out of the sunlight and into the shadows we pass through a penumbral zone (an area of partial shade). In this murky light we hear disturbing and confusing terminology. Individuals or groups of people are referred to as savage, subhuman, or animal. The mental state that would cause us to use such terms to refer to people stems from a lack of Bible knowledge (Genesis 1:26).

Students of history recognize that the classification of people as animals, is something that has occurred many times in the past. The indigenous people of North and South America, as well as Africa,were called “savages” and were enslaved or killed. The influence of Darwinian thought upon societies in the late 1800’s led to changes in economics, racism, warfare, and business. Of particular influence was the idea of “survival of the fittest.”

Racism is an example of how good was falsified in the last century. The idea of one race being superior to another race is a product of Darwinian biological theory. Most biologists would say this was an aberration of a sound theory. John West wrote a book entitled,Darwin’s Day in America. In his book, he shows that the  promotion of  the concept of some so-called superior race has happened far too many times for it to be an aberration. In fact, racism appears to be a common factor in the pernicious theory of Darwinian evolution. The Lord said that we shall know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:18). The fruits of this theory are the deaths of millions of people in the twentieth century. Sadly, our culture today still embraces this theory even though history has shown us the evil and ugly outcome.

How is it that so much evil can be presented as being good? How can those who are killing people pass off their actions as moral? Buchner and Haeckel, along with other scientists, physicians, and intellectuals in Germany set the stage. Buchner was a doctor who fostered the taking of life for the good of the people, despite the Hippocratic Oath he had taken. He was the most influential popularizer of Darwin’s theory in Germany. With his materialistic and atheistic tract, Force and Matter, Buchner influenced both young and old with his evolutionary views. In the 1890’s this dangerous tract went through fifteen editions in Germany and four in England.

Ernst Haeckel was a scientist and one of the earliest converts to Darwinism. Haeckel’s drawings of the embryonic development of animals have been used by many as proof of Darwin’s theory. However, Haeckel’s drawings have been shown to have been falsified. Although Haeckel falsified his drawings, they can still be found in many college and high school biology textbooks. This is a good example of the falsification process. In this case falsified data has been used to spread evil.

The idea of survival of the fittest fanned the flames of anti-Semitism in Germany. The Germans intended to rid Germany of Jewish population “for the health of the nation.” In the 1800’s and 1900’s these efforts were referred to as “racial hygiene.” In addition, the Germans considered the Slavic race as sub-human and determined they should be eliminated. In Poland alone some three million “Christians” and three million Jews were methodically executed in the “final solution.”

Sadly, even Christian theologians were used to implement this falsification. Harmack, a German theologian wrote the book, The Essence of Christianity. In this book he traced “the essence of Christianity” through four historical stages: Jewish, Greek, Roman, and German. The German race was put forth as the purest fulfillment of the essence of man. He further argued that this essence could not exist in pairs, consequently there could only be one elect people: Germans. This was used to show that the cleansing of the lesser races was justified in the same way God’s command to clear Canaan was justified (Deuteronomy 31:3). He concluded that just as the Jews cleansed and purified Canaan, so too, the Germans must cleanse and purify the earth of lesser races.

It is important to note that Wahhabism of Islam preaches the purification of Islam by the removal of the infidels. Therefore the falsification of the good is alive and well today. We did not defeat or remove its presence with the defeat of Nazi Germany in WWII, or with the fall of Communism.

As we confront the evils of Neo-Darwinism, secularism, communism, and Islam, let us never forget the words which God spoke through Isaiah the prophet so long ago. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 4:20).

 Noah standing at the door of the ark with a checklist in hand]: “That’s two dogs, two giraffes, two bats, two elephants, two stegosauruses, two pterodactyls, …”

When most people first hear the suggestion that dinosaurs were on the ark they find this incomprehensible. The visual image of dinosaurs walking up a ramp through the doorway of the ark is not a picture many have ever considered. Two mental stumbling blocks make it especially difficult for the average person to give any consideration to this suggestion: evolutionary teaching and their gigantic size. The mainstream media has done such an outstanding job of convincing the general population that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago that the idea of dinosaurs on the ark seems ludicrous. After all, they would have us believe that humans are separated from the dinosaurs by 65 million years.

The other stumbling block is the size of these great lizards. Oftentimes when we picture dinosaurs, we imagine massive Sauropod dinosaurs such as the Apatosaurus that easily weighed over 50 tons! How do you get such massive creatures on the ark—and once onboard, how do you feed such enormous creatures? Furthermore, how did Noah’s family and domestic creatures share living quarters with ferocious creatures such as the Tyrannosaurus rex?

In evaluating what animals were on the ark, it is important to consult God’s inspired Word for details. (Remember, this is the only inspired book.) Consider the following Truths that can found in the Bible:

1.     All land-dwelling creatures were created on day six (Genesis 1:24-26).

It is clear that on the sixth day God created all land-dwelling creatures and man: “Then God said, ‘Let the Earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping things and beast of the Earth, each according to its kind’; and it was so…. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image…’” This creative history is emphasized again in Exodus 20:11 which tells us: “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the Earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.” Clearly, everything—including man and dinosaurs—was created during the six days of creation.

2.     Noah was to take two of every unclean land-dwelling creature on the ark—which would include dinosaurs (Genesis 6:19-20).

Moses wrote: “And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the Earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive” (Genesis 6:19-20). God brought every land-dwelling creature to Noah for safekeeping. If dinosaurs were around during this time then one can reasonably conclude that they too would have required safekeeping.

3. The book of Job describes the “behemoth” (40:15), a creature that fits the description of a dinosaur that was living after the Flood. (Additional scientific evidence exists that these amazing creatures lived after the Flood.)

In Job 40:15 God questions Job about a creature He describes as the behemoth. While many (uninspired) footnotes describe this creature as an elephant or hippopotamus, the description better fits a dinosaur-like creature. (How many elephants or hippos have “tails like a cedar,” Job 40:17?) While most scholars consider Job to be one of the first books written, we can tell from the way Job and his three “friends” were worshipping that it fits in “post-Flood.” Also, there is extensive scientific evidence that men living after the Flood saw these amazing creatures. [We will cover this in detail in an upcoming issue on the dinosaurs!]

4. Genesis 1:29-30 indicates that both man and animals were to eat vegetation before the Flood. It was only after the Flood that God allowed the eating of meat (Genesis 9:3). If it were the case that both man and animals were vegetarian prior to the Flood, then sharing close quarters on the ark would not have presented a problem.

       5. The Bible does not specify that Noah had to take adult animals onboard the ark. While many would argue that dinosaurs would have been too large to fit on the ark, we must bear in mind that there are some mysteries that God’s Word does not reveal. For instance, why couldn’t Noah have taken juveniles? Consider they take up less space, eat less food, produce less waste, and you don’t have to worry about reproductive problems! Also, not all dinosaurs were massive in size.

So could dinosaurs have been on the ark with Noah and his family? Absolutely!

[Editors’ note: Dave Pelzer lived through a childhood that most of us could never envision. His childhood abuses still ranks him as one of the worst three cases of child abuse in the history of California. He nearly died on several different occasions at the hands of his mentally disturbed alcoholic mother. He recounts how his own mother would lock him in the bathroom with a toxic combination of cleaning chemicals, creating a deadly gas chamber that burned his skin and throat. He was beaten regularly, starved continuously, and kept in a cold basement, serving as a slave for the rest of the family. Having survived his nightmarish childhood, Dave has gone on to write three New York Times bestsellers, serve in the Air Force, and receive personal commendations from presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Dave’s resilience and love for life provides a tremendous insight into relationships.]

Focus Press: Dave, we appreciate your taking the time to talk with us. Please take a minute and share, for those readers who might not be familiar with you and your story, a little bit of background about yourself.

Dave Pelzer: Well, as you know, I experienced a violent childhood. I was raised in the 1960s with alcoholic parents. I didn’t find out until many years later that my mother was very abused by her psychotic mother. So with her alcohol problem and her own demons, she ended up abusing me. I basically became one of the worst child abuse cases in California history. It was a very traumatic experience.

FP: Describe your early years and your eventual rescue.

DP: At age twelve, I only weighed 68 pounds and I was finally taken away from the home when the school nurse and several teachers stuck their own necks out. Everyone knew about the abuse. Every teacher I ever had. I mean we are talking about a kid in kindergarten who could not even pronounce a syllable. A kid in the first grade who smelled so vile that the other kids would actually regurgitate. A child that ate out of garbage cans. A child that showed up to school with burns and blisters above the palm of his hand up to the bicep, and yet my mother would allude to, “Well ‘the boy’ played with matches, and ‘the boy’ learned his lesson not to play with wooden matches.” It was one of those things where everyone knew there was a demon—an element that was causing this—but back then we didn’t talk about such matters.

FP: Obviously you were removed from your biological parents, which itself must have been very traumatic. DP: It was weird because a couple of years later when I was rescued into foster care, there were some professionals who announced to the world that because my abuse was so traumatic I would not make it. You must understand that age fourteen I was just beginning to learn to pronounce vowels; my hand would shake so badly I couldn’t write. I was a terrified little animal from another world, and I couldn’t adjust to this new world of foster care. Because my mother had forced me to use toxic chemicals for years, my fingertips were so numb I could barely dress myself, let alone tie my shoes. And this one doctor said out loud: “This guy’s not going to make it. He’s got two options: death or prison.”

FP: Tell me what relationships stand out in your past that helped you become the man you are today.

DP: Oh that’s obvious—my mother. Think about that. My mom made me strong. Why has my brother served as a police officer for the past 31 years? He’s there to protect and serve because of what he witnessed at home. See, I know what it’s like to be less than zero—to have absolutely nothing. And yet I had teachers who would say keep your chin up. Their message stuck with me. I know what it is like to have someone give you a look of love or to give you some compassion. I had great foster parents who would kick me in the pants—because they loved me and I needed it. My social workers helped me out. Ultimately, these people helped mold me into the person I am today. Because I’ll be quite frank—and I don’t mean to be so dark—but I should make Bin Laden look like a saint. I know what darkness is. After receiving so much from my mother, I should hate all women. And yet, I am one of the most blessed individuals I know.

FP: You now have a son, and find yourself in the unique position of wanting to make sure he grows up feeling loved and having a “normal” family. Your relationship to him is so diametrically opposed to the relationship you had with your own mother. What have you taught your son are vital components to a healthy relationship?

DP: Number one is we always communicate. I think that is vital in any relationship—on any matter whether it is business or personal. We had already talked about drugs at age two. I hope what I have done for Stephen is lead and live by example. He gets to see my follies. He gets to see if I’m too antsy or if I make bad decisions. But I believe this is important. So hopefully one of the key things I have given him aside from good communication is leading by example.

FP: What would be your advice to parents and children who are experiencing trouble in their relationship at home?

DP: Part of it is this: always keep the lines of communication open. Parents must lead by example. Do not shut out. A lot of parents shut out their kids because they get frustrated. Remember they are always learning from you. Because even when they roll their eyes, act like they’re not listening, and say “this is sooo boring,” they are still listening. And by leading by example and letting them know the standard, it is better. Also, I think we need to challenge our children for greatness. Too often we allow our young people to grow up thinking mediocrity is sufficient. Encourage them to strive for greatness. You have to be willing to strive for greatness. No mediocrity. We can’t live a life of: “O.K. I’ll study two hours on this final exam and then I slough off.” No. No. No. There has to be a certain standard! We can’t continue to accept mediocrity.

For parents, this is not a time to be mediocre. This is not a time to coast. This is a time to step up and be good parents, be Samaritans, to love our fellow man, and to help our fellow man. Also, don’t be afraid to tell your child the truth. Let them know bad things happen to good people some time. But let them know they will get through it. It’s alright to say “I don’t understand everything going on right now, but I love you and care about you. You’re being challenged right now, and that’s O.K.” We need to teach our children resilience. I always tell the young adults whom I work with in the juvenile halls and institutions: “Number 1, I am so sorry that you went through a divorce or were abused. I am truly sorry. However, if you can get through that then you can get through this.” If you can survive cancer or child abuse, then think about how much greatness you can accomplish.

There are a lot of people in this world who are unhappy, but they want the easy way out. See, in today’s world everyone thinks, “If I take this one pill, I’ll lose 500 pounds,” or “I’m going to gamble in the lottery and win a lot of money.” Rather than that, why not work on your relationship, or work on your diet, or work on your education. It might take years—but consider the payoff. Look at the component. They said I should be dead or in prison at age fourteen. Think about a doctor saying, “This kid’s not going to make it.” And yet I had the honor to serve in the Air Force and was one of only seven individuals trained to do mid-air refueling of the stealth fighters. We need to learn resilience.

FP: Do you not think that people who have been in the valley have a greater appreciation when they are on the mountain?

DP: Definitely! Look, the reality is everybody’s got junk in the trunk. It’s how we learn to deal with it. We need to learn how to purge that stuff out. Sometimes we worry too much about our dry cleaning, braces for little Johnny, or what happened years ago…we don’t see the big picture. To be able to look past that creates an opportunity for greatness. Because the reality is, we don’t know what we are made of until we are challenged. O.K., so I was smacked around for twelve years and my mother was sick. I know about the darkness and sickness. But by knowing about it, I can prevent it from happening in the future.  

[Editors’ note: Dave Pelzer lived through a childhood that most of us could never envision. His childhood abuses still ranks him as one of the worst three cases of child abuse in the history of California. He nearly died on several different occasions at the hands of his mentally disturbed alcoholic mother. He recounts how his own mother would lock him in the bathroom with a toxic combination of cleaning chemicals, creating a deadly gas chamber that burned his skin and throat. He was beaten regularly, starved continuously, and kept in a cold basement, serving as a slave for the rest of the family. Having survived his nightmarish childhood, Dave has gone on to write three New York Times bestsellers, serve in the Air Force, and receive personal commendations from presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Dave’s resilience and love for life provides a tremendous insight into relationships.]

Focus Press: Dave, we appreciate your taking the time to talk with us. Please take a minute and share, for those readers who might not be familiar with you and your story, a little bit of background about yourself.

Dave Pelzer: Well, as you know, I experienced a violent childhood. I was raised in the 1960s with alcoholic parents. I didn’t find out until many years later that my mother was very abused by her psychotic mother. So with her alcohol problem and her own demons, she ended up abusing me. I basically became one of the worst child abuse cases in California history. It was a very traumatic experience.

FP: Describe your early years and your eventual rescue.

DP: At age twelve, I only weighed 68 pounds and I was finally taken away from the home when the school nurse and several teachers stuck their own necks out. Everyone knew about the abuse. Every teacher I ever had. I mean we are talking about a kid in kindergarten who could not even pronounce a syllable. A kid in the first grade who smelled so vile that the other kids would actually regurgitate. A child that ate out of garbage cans. A child that showed up to school with burns and blisters above the palm of his hand up to the bicep, and yet my mother would allude to, “Well ‘the boy’ played with matches, and ‘the boy’ learned his lesson not to play with wooden matches.” It was one of those things where everyone knew there was a demon—an element that was causing this—but back then we didn’t talk about such matters.

FP: Obviously you were removed from your biological parents, which itself must have been very traumatic. DP: It was weird because a couple of years later when I was rescued into foster care, there were some professionals who announced to the world that because my abuse was so traumatic I would not make it. You must understand that age fourteen I was just beginning to learn to pronounce vowels; my hand would shake so badly I couldn’t write. I was a terrified little animal from another world, and I couldn’t adjust to this new world of foster care. Because my mother had forced me to use toxic chemicals for years, my fingertips were so numb I could barely dress myself, let alone tie my shoes. And this one doctor said out loud: “This guy’s not going to make it. He’s got two options: death or prison.”

FP: Tell me what relationships stand out in your past that helped you become the man you are today.

DP: Oh that’s obvious—my mother. Think about that. My mom made me strong. Why has my brother served as a police officer for the past 31 years? He’s there to protect and serve because of what he witnessed at home. See, I know what it’s like to be less than zero—to have absolutely nothing. And yet I had teachers who would say keep your chin up. Their message stuck with me. I know what it is like to have someone give you a look of love or to give you some compassion. I had great foster parents who would kick me in the pants—because they loved me and I needed it. My social workers helped me out. Ultimately, these people helped mold me into the person I am today. Because I’ll be quite frank—and I don’t mean to be so dark—but I should make Bin Laden look like a saint. I know what darkness is. After receiving so much from my mother, I should hate all women. And yet, I am one of the most blessed individuals I know.

FP: You now have a son, and find yourself in the unique position of wanting to make sure he grows up feeling loved and having a “normal” family. Your relationship to him is so diametrically opposed to the relationship you had with your own mother. What have you taught your son are vital components to a healthy relationship?

DP: Number one is we always communicate. I think that is vital in any relationship—on any matter whether it is business or personal. We had already talked about drugs at age two. I hope what I have done for Stephen is lead and live by example. He gets to see my follies. He gets to see if I’m too antsy or if I make bad decisions. But I believe this is important. So hopefully one of the key things I have given him aside from good communication is leading by example.

FP: What would be your advice to parents and children who are experiencing trouble in their relationship at home?

DP: Part of it is this: always keep the lines of communication open. Parents must lead by example. Do not shut out. A lot of parents shut out their kids because they get frustrated. Remember they are always learning from you. Because even when they roll their eyes, act like they’re not listening, and say “this is sooo boring,” they are still listening. And by leading by example and letting them know the standard, it is better. Also, I think we need to challenge our children for greatness. Too often we allow our young people to grow up thinking mediocrity is sufficient. Encourage them to strive for greatness. You have to be willing to strive for greatness. No mediocrity. We can’t live a life of: “O.K. I’ll study two hours on this final exam and then I slough off.” No. No. No. There has to be a certain standard! We can’t continue to accept mediocrity.

For parents, this is not a time to be mediocre. This is not a time to coast. This is a time to step up and be good parents, be Samaritans, to love our fellow man, and to help our fellow man. Also, don’t be afraid to tell your child the truth. Let them know bad things happen to good people some time. But let them know they will get through it. It’s alright to say “I don’t understand everything going on right now, but I love you and care about you. You’re being challenged right now, and that’s O.K.” We need to teach our children resilience. I always tell the young adults whom I work with in the juvenile halls and institutions: “Number 1, I am so sorry that you went through a divorce or were abused. I am truly sorry. However, if you can get through that then you can get through this.” If you can survive cancer or child abuse, then think about how much greatness you can accomplish.

There are a lot of people in this world who are unhappy, but they want the easy way out. See, in today’s world everyone thinks, “If I take this one pill, I’ll lose 500 pounds,” or “I’m going to gamble in the lottery and win a lot of money.” Rather than that, why not work on your relationship, or work on your diet, or work on your education. It might take years—but consider the payoff. Look at the component. They said I should be dead or in prison at age fourteen. Think about a doctor saying, “This kid’s not going to make it.” And yet I had the honor to serve in the Air Force and was one of only seven individuals trained to do mid-air refueling of the stealth fighters. We need to learn resilience.

FP: Do you not think that people who have been in the valley have a greater appreciation when they are on the mountain?

DP: Definitely! Look, the reality is everybody’s got junk in the trunk. It’s how we learn to deal with it. We need to learn how to purge that stuff out. Sometimes we worry too much about our dry cleaning, braces for little Johnny, or what happened years ago…we don’t see the big picture. To be able to look past that creates an opportunity for greatness. Because the reality is, we don’t know what we are made of until we are challenged. O.K., so I was smacked around for twelve years and my mother was sick. I know about the darkness and sickness. But by knowing about it, I can prevent it from happening in the future.