“They get more attention with negativity.”

One day, God looked down at Earth and saw how the world had changed. People were fighting and judging each other, and spreading hate that came from the Devil. Everywhere he looked, there was anger, hatred, and sorrow. But there were also people helping each other, showing love and doing good things without expecting anything in return. God wondered why the world seemed to notice the bad more than the good.

Meanwhile, the devil watched from the shadows, smiling and letting that deep, slow laugh out to the world that made the rain sing and the thunder shout. Every time someone started an argument, spread a rumor, or hurt another person, people paid attention; the devil loved it because he knew that the more hatred that people spread, the easier it became to pull them away from God. “Look at them, “ the devil said proudly. “They listen to me without even realizing it. I barely have to even try, and they give me all the attention I could ever want. God looked at the devil and replied, saying” You may have their attention, but that doesn’t mean you have their hearts.” The devil laughed. “Attention is all that matters. People do not care about goodness anymore. They care about the drama, money, and tearing each other down. The louder the hate, the more people listen.”

God felt that sorrow for the people he had created, but he did not lose his hope. He knew that even when the world seemed dark, there was still hope and goodness inside of people. He knew that one act of kindness could change someone’s life, even if nobody else ever saw it. He always watched when you helped someone down the street when no one else was watching; God is when you helped pay for the food behind you; no one was watching except God.

A few days later, a young man saw another student sitting alone, crying after not having the best day. Everyone walked past the boy, paying him no mind; they were too busy, with not enough time to care, stuck in their own bubble of life. But a young man stopped, sat beside him, and reminded him that he wasn’t alone. He prayed with him and reminded him that “God has not forgotten you and that God gives his stronger soldiers his hardest battles.

Now, no one recorded it; no one paid attention to it; no one gave him attention for what he had just done. But that person went home and felt like he mattered again, with a new strength of god on his side. From heaven, God had seen what had happened and smiled bigger than ever.

The devil was confused. ” No one even said what the boy had done,” he complained. He received no attention, no praise, and no reward. Why would he waste his time doing something like that? God answered, “Because he wasn’t doing it for attention. He was doing it out of the love of his heart, and that will be something your mind will never be able to comprehend. For the first time in a long time, the Devil had no response. He could get people to watch him, talk about him, and even follow his ways, but he could never replace the love God has chosen to put in the hearts of the people that choose to show the good in people. God knew that the world would continue to struggle with evil, and he knew that the negativity would always be louder than the faith. But he also knew that true goodness didn’t need attention to matter.

The Devil may get more attention through negativity, but God reminds us that attention is temporary, while love, faith, and kindness can change a person’s life forever.