I would like to meet the individual who is tasked with scheduling the airtime for the advertisements that play on the television from day to day. Either the television companies are running short on advertisements and as a result lack the necessary material to create a buffer between competing ads, or whomever is tasked with scheduling has intentionally chosen to run the ads for competing political entities one after the other.
The first time the ads played, I audibly laughed as I watched. The advertisement of Candidate A explained all of the evil and perceived hypocrisy in the actions of Candidate B. Candidate B then responded by pointing out the same in the actions of Candidate A. It was a scene I had experienced with my siblings and fellow students as a kid, and have observed numerous times as a parent, teacher, and pastor. It was the call and response of two children bantering back and forth with the classic, “I KNOW YOU ARE, BUT WHAT AM I!” Or, the age old, “I’M RUBBER. YOU’RE GLUE. WHATEVER YOU SAY BOUNCES OFF OF ME AND STICKS TO YOU.” (Consider this next time you watch political ads. It makes them bearable.)
The best message they could come up with is “I’m not as bad as them!!!” REALLY???
As previously noted, the sequence was comical at first. Then, it was annoying, as the ads played over and over again. Finally, it was just sad. I could enumerate several reasons why these ads bothered me, but the greatest and most important reason was the heart of the message being conveyed. These people are spending millions of dollars to communicate with millions of people. They have the opportunity to tell the world exactly who they are and what they are all about. The best message they could come up with is “I’m not as bad as them!!!” REALLY???
It would be easy for us to sit back and point our fingers at these individuals; and if you’re anything like me, at times you do. But, doesn’t that just put us on the same level? I would argue that what we see in these commercials is an unfortunate reflection of the realities of how we function in everyday life. Our goal is not to be good people, with all that goodness encompasses. Our goal is simply to be better than them. The measure of our morality has become the morality we see in those around us. This paradigm isn’t only present in society at large. I believe it has seeped into the church. We’ve accepted the same standard in our dealings with one another and the world. We’ve gotten things out of alignment.
According to the truth of Scripture, we are called to a different standard. Good isn’t the standard. Good is setting the bar low, particularly when good is defined by the action and inaction of other flawed individuals. God’s expectation for His people is higher. In I Peter 1:15-16 we read, “Just as He Who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.” We aren’t called to be good or better. We are called to be holy.
As we attempt to orient our lives and assess the quality of our attitudes and actions we shouldn’t be looking around, but up.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines holy as “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.” I’m well aware, and regularly reminded, that God alone meets the standard of this definition, but this is the standard to which we are to aspire. The goodness against which we are to measure our own actions is nothing less than the goodness of God. We are to be molded into the image of Jesus. And, just like Jesus, we should seek to look and act more and more like our Heavenly Father every day. As we attempt to orient our lives and assess the quality of our attitudes and actions we shouldn’t be looking around, but up.
