Dear reader,

Recently I saw a show on Netflix called “Lucifer”.  These episodes feature a charismatic, fallen angel interfering in people’s lives. While watching this, I thought of the notion of, as the show states, how many people do a so-called deal with the devil.

So what would you do if you could make such a bargain? Would you do something for yourself like put a billion in your bank account or make yourself the CEO of a large and powerful corporation? Or would you try to do something altruistic for the world like making it a better place through the elimination of murderous dictators, or the eradication of homelessness or the initiation of a lasting peace.

While some of these wishes may seem tempting, think about what one would have to give up. The usual exchange the devil negotiates is a wish in return for one’s soul in eternity. Perhaps that is too much to pledge and why most of us are content to earn honestly what we get.

Realistically in our day to day, sometimes mundane existence, the joy of realizing something through one’s own efforts can be quite satisfying even if it doesn’t have some major, notable effect on our lives or on the world. Maybe the heavy lifting in the end is God’s work since, as some believe, he put all of this in motion. So a deal with the devil – pass.

Patrick Wood