Things We Think Are Bad That Are Actually Good

Most of what we think is really bad in this world, turns out to be something good, so let’s see a few examples.

Dandelions

I know most people dislike dandelions popping up in their yard every year, and yes, they can be kind of an eye sore, but did you know that dandelions do a lot of good? Dandelions provide vital nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, and moths. Yes, moths feed on nectar. Dandelions also bring up nutrients from deep within in the soil and, when they die, they release these nutrients (like calcium) back into the topsoil, fertilizing shallow-rooted grasses, shrubs and trees. Their deep, sturdy taproots (up to 15 feet long) break up compacted, hard-packed clay soil, allowing better water and air circulation. Dandelion roots stabilize the soil, preventing erosion, and amazingly, the entire plant is edible and packed with vitamins A, C, and K, along with iron and potassium.

What appears to be something bad for your lawn is in reality a very good thing. When summer comes, most stop producing flowers, so the lawn will look better, and the lawn will feel better too, thanks to the much maligned dandelion. Later in the Sumer, they stop flowering and vanish from view, so why not leave them for your yard’s own good, the lawn’s own good, the rabbits own good, and for your own good, but not applying some kind of chemical to kill them, which also enters into the soil and is transmitted into plants, like grass, trees, shrubs, and flowers.

Mosquitos

The greatest killers of human beings in human history is not related to war. These are not huge weapons of war that kill…but they are the tiny mosquito. They look small enough and innocent enough, but mosquitoes are considered the deadliest creature in world history, responsible for an estimated 52 billion human deaths. That’s more than any other cause, primarily due to the mosquito spreading malaria, yellow fever, several blood borne pathogens, and other deadly diseases.

As bad as mosquitos are, only female mosquitoes bite for blood, however both male and female mosquitoes feed on nectar, transferring pollen as they move between flowers, often acting as crucial, small-flower and crop pollinators, so mosquitos, even though they can be deadly, are one of the greatest crop pollinators in world history. So what seems bad, and I grant you that there is some bad in mosquitos, there is also much good. Without mosquitos, millions of worldwide crops would be left un-pollinated, and thus, unable to produce. Next to the bee, the mosquito is the best pollinator in the world…and that benefits mankind, even though they can be bad.

Eggs and Butter

Growing up, I heard that butter and eggs were really bad for you, and that grieved me a bit because I love them both. When I say butter, I mean natural butter and not margarine. As for eggs, they are considered to be one nature’s most perfect foods and one of the most nutritious foods too. Eggs provide high-quality protein, healthy fats, along with essential nutrients like choline and selenium. Eggs are excellent for muscle repair, satiety (feeling full), and eye health, and for the vast majority of the people, up to 7 eggs a week is safe without negatively affecting the heart’s health. Even so, too much of even a good thing can be bad, and the same could be said for butter, but butter can be part of a balanced diet when consumed in moderation, offering vitamins A, D, and K, along with healthy fatty acids like butyrate. Real butter contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and butyrate, which can have anti-inflammatory and gut-health benefits. Butter (in moderation) and eggs (7 per week) are not seen as bad anymore by dieticians, but as seen as good.

God’s Law

The Law of God has such a negative feel to most people because they think it’s all, “Thou shall not do this or that…” but the Law of God is much more than that. The Law punishes evil doers, providing safety for society. The Law keeps people safer than without any law. Could you imagine everyone being a law unto themselves? It would be like the old Wild West again! Very dangerous. The Law of God is not so much don’t do this or don’t do that, but if you do this, you will get hurt. The Law is like guard rails that keep us on the road and out of ditches, preserving our lives, not handcuffing us. You might feel restricted on the highway by guardrails, but when they keep you from crashing into the ditch, you suddenly see the good in them. The Law says we should not steal, lie, or covet, and those laws are for our good. People generally hate to be restricted by laws, but a speed limit law saves lives. Everything we think is bad is not always so. Whoever keeps the Law is blessed, which means happy or abundantly happy, that’s good!

Summary

Based on Proverbs 29:18, those who keep the law are deemed to be most blessed and favored, providing a contrast to the unrestrained behavior that occurs in those who freely break God’s laws. The “law” often refers to God’s commandments and obedience to these commandments leads to joy and safety rather than the destruction caused by a lack of restraint (lawlessness). What we think is bad, God has often created it for our good. The Apostle Paul describes present hardships as “light” and “momentary” compared to an “eternal weight of glory” that is coming (2 Cor 4:17). Our conclusion is, what may seem bad at the moment, will likely yield much good in the future (Rom 8:18). Our world is into instant gratification that we hate to wait for anything, but God is patient, having perfect divine timing for everything (Rom 8:28), and it’s better to let God open the door than trying to crawl through a window. It might seem bad that a door has closed for you, but God knows best and perhaps He kept you from hurting yourself and walking through a door wthout a floor.

Conclusion

I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.

Here is some related reading for you: Can Good Come From Evil? A Biblical Discussion

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: evil, good, pain, Suffering