Sometimes the worst brings out the best in us

When the Vancouver Canucks failed to win the Stanley Cup on June 15, all hell broke loose on Georgia street. The City had installed a huge screen there for thousands of people to watch the game; all hoping for a glorious win. But when it became clear we'd lose, a lot of young people decided to riot. They burned up cars, smashed windows and plundered some local stores--without restraint. Images of lawlessness, violence, stupidity and greed were broadcasted on TV for the world to see. A freak show revealing humanity's ugly side. And it shamefully originated in a world-class city with citizens who are wealthy and free. The riot showed that fallen humanity--even in a great place like Vancouver--is ugly.

After the nightmare of June 15th, I woke up to another side of Vancouver. By 7am the next morning, an army of volunteers had already shown up, armed with gloves and bags to help the government workers clean up the mess created by the riot. On the Post-Riot-Vancouver-Clean-Up Facebook page, over 16,000 people signed up to help restore our beloved city over the next three days (which, with so much help only took a morning!) Many beautiful citizens here rolled up their sleeves to make our city spotless. I love Vancouver more today because of them. 

So, June 15th saw the worst of us, but June 16th brought out the best in us. This makes me wonder...in the grand scheme of God's salvation plan, is he patient with the worst in us in order to bring out the best in us?