A Chance at Love by T. K. Chapin Read Free Book Online Page A

were created, Kyle. You think a hippo gets angry when some savage animal destroys one of its own? No. Sure, they might show something comparable to what looks to be sadness, but they don’t seek revenge and justice for the animal. It’s not how animals work. They don’t have what we have as humans. We have a built-in moral compass that no other creature on earth has.”
    Relaxing back into my chair, I processed all she was saying. “I can go along with the theory that everyone has a compass of morals, but that doesn’t explain why some people commit acts of evil.”
    “Even acts of evil steal from God’s design of good. Hitler, for instance. He sought power, and power itself isn’t necessarily wrong or evil. The corruption didn’t lie within the power, but within the sinful and selfish heart of Hitler, who sought it for himself. He was motivated by his own will. These people who open fire in public and ruthlessly kill are motivated from some form of what they believe is right.”
    “And this selfishness and self-centeredness is . . .”
    “Sin. There’s no society in the world that says to put yourself before others.”
    “What about the religious groups?”
    “They’re under the impression they’re doing the right thing, even though it’s evil and not right. Again, it all boils down to Adam and Eve introducing sin into the world.”
    “Why won’t God stop it?”
    “Then what?”
    “It wouldn’t happen,” I retorted. “People might believe in God if there wasn’t evil in the world.”
    “But you wouldn’t have free will if He showed up and stopped everything bad from happening. He is a loving God; He doesn’t want to force His creation into serving Him. There is a certain beauty that comes by faith, and that would be destroyed if we had no free will. C.S. Lewis worded it in a way that I’ll never forget: ‘Free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.’”
    “Amazingly articulated. I’m starting to understand. I do wonder, though, what about Down Syndrome and people born with disabilities?”
    She smiled sadly. “Times have changed quite a bit since even I was a kid. Those kinds of people and situations in society once upon a time weren’t looked at like problems. They were people who inspired others to have compassion and to love deeper. These situations weren’t looked at as a nuisance, but instead cultivated a deeper part of ourselves that has since been lost.”
    “Seems unfair.”
    “A disability isn’t God being unfair; it’s just another human being with a unique soul that can touch lives in a different kind of way than others. Disabilities don’t limit the person . . .” She touched her temple as she continued. “Only your mind can limit your abilities. And there are plenty of able-bodied people in this world that do far less than many of the people I know with so-called disabilities .”
    Running my fingers through my hair as my eyes widened, I felt like I woke up from a long night’s sleep. My mind usually fought against God and wrestled with the idea of Him, but the way my grandmother articulated herself spoke to the deepest part of my being. Nothing inside of me was resisting, and it was as if everything was coming into focus.
    “What is it, Kyle?”
    “My mind. I’m just . . . I don’t know. I’ve talked to a lot of Christian kids in school and even a few teachers, but this time seems different.” I furrowed my eyebrows. “I don’t know why.”
    “Your soul is searching. Not only do we have a built-in moral compass, but we have a soul that desires to connect with God.”
    I winced. “It sounds nice. Let’s go back to this moral compass. Just because each of us humans seems to have this moral compass , that doesn’t necessarily mean God gave it to us.”
    “Why not? You can’t be governed by the law of morality without being given the law. Just as you see a crooked line and know