If we pay attention, we will soon realize that God constantly provides us with opportunities to learn and grow in our faith and in our understanding of Truth.

Decades ago, I became a fan of the music of John Martyn. I first noticed his work while listening to KLOL radio in Houston while working late at night in the courtesy booth of a Handy Andy grocery store. As luck would have it, the other guy working with me that evening as we reconciled Saturday’s sales was also a part-time DJ for the station and knew music, to say the least. Martyn’s online biography includes this insight, “In a world that lacks compassion, John Martyn and his music, is a breath of fresh air. John was an incurable romantic who sang from his heart; no other artist sang with such commitment and emotion.”

John brought his heart to all he created, and creation, of all types, provides a chance to gain wisdom. I believe that we can see, hear and feel God in all things. He is constantly trying to reach us, touch us, and show His love for us if we pay attention. With humility and His grace, the world reveals Him to us constantly.  We even have the chance to learn from the misstatements of others, which takes us back to Martyn.

One of his songs is titled Don’t Want to Know. When I was younger – much younger – I thought the message of the song’s chorus was profound and important: 

And I don’t want to know about evil
Only want to know about love

I was naïve. Naivete can lead to ignorance that can serve as a portal through which evil can enter.  We cannot intentionally remain unaware of evil. God is love, light and Truth; evil is hate, darkness and lies. (I encourage you to read W. Scott Peck’s book, People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil, to get a psychologist’s perspective on evil.) We must be students of both sides of reality and not just know about one while ignoring the other.

The more we recognize the lies and darkness of evil, the more clear it becomes that we must seek love, light and Truth. As we increase our knowledge, we gain wisdom. Of course, wisdom is a frequent topic in the Bible. Wisdom helps us make better decisions as we choose between influences in our lives.

John’s bio cites a world that lacks compassion. I believe that is true in large part; it is not devoid of compassion, just lacking.  To understand the lack requires  an understanding of evil (the cause) and love (the solution).

I am glad that I was so intrigued by his music that I would hold the lyrics close in my memories and ruminate over them for years. What I heard 50 years ago began to take on new meaning and understanding about 20 years after. I think it was God’s way of helping me gain clarity that took me from an overly simple secular message to a profound one: to know love, we must know its enemy: evil.