Just Too Good

Have you ever been told that you are too good at something? Have you ever been denied an opportunity because your level of skill was too high for the position? It may seem like a far fetched concept, but people are occasionally overlooked because they exhibit talents beyond the simple fitting of qualifications. I remember an instance in which my mother was not hired for a particular job because she was “over qualified”. I don’t know if it’s quite the same concept, but I was once denied a job because I was “too persistent”. I simply called to find out if my application was received and when interviews were going to take place. Today, I was reading an article about a 9-year-old boy who can throw a 40 mph fastball. He is so good that his youth baseball league refused to let him pitch. When he took the mound despite this refusal, the other team left and forfeited the game. Not allowed to play, the boy is being punished for his gift.
Have you ever heard the expression “too good to be true”? Frequently, we doubt facts because the truth seems to fall too far beyond our expectations. I wonder how many people don’t find love because they believe that the individuals they are interested in are “too good” for them. Some people allow themselves to be abused because they think a better life is not within their reach. I myself have feared applying to certain colleges because they seemed to be too elite for me. I know of people who don’t attend church because they believe that their sins are unforgivable and that they could never achieve the level of greatness needed to be a Christian. While this may seem like the other side of the coin, people are being refused love, colleges are being refused students, and the kingdom of God is being refused servants because they are thought of as “too good”. While we are not worthy of God’s grace, nothing we can do on our own saves us. Ephesians 2:1-10 talks about how we are made alive in Christ. God’s gift of salvation is for everyone. No one is too good as everyone sins. And, God does not consider himself too good for us.

The Smog of Sin

In an article I read today from Wired.com, I discovered it is possible that anti-smog efforts in Beijing are failing. In an effort to clean up the atmosphere in preparation for this year’s Olympic Games, the Chinese government has taken various measures. These efforts include: “traffic bans, factory shutdowns, cloud seeding, and construction slowdowns.” The BBC’s Beijing bureau has set up air pollution sensors to monitor the environment in Beijing. Levels actually rose following the institution of anti-smog measures and only lowered for a short time during a heavy rainfall. Photographs reflect the dangerous levels of pollution with the appearance of gray skies and air that appears thick enough to cut. The Chinese government claims that these photographs merely show clouds and haze and are not a proper measurement of pollution levels. In an investigation by the Wall Street Journal, several manipulations of pollution measurements were revealed. The Chinese government, while they may be bending the truth, is planning to institute a plan that will remove 90 percent of Beijing’s cars from the road.
If Beijing’s pollution troubles remain during the Olympic Games, there is going to be quite the number of people unhappy with not only the games, but with the Chinese government. The athletes, struggling to breathe, will find themselves risking not only their performance level, but their health. It is expected that few, if any, records will be broken. I read one article that suggests various cardiovascular problems might be triggered in not only the athletes, but for the spectators. When reading all of this, I couldn’t help but think of sin. Man mass-produces sin and sin causes man to struggle and choke. Ecclesiastes 7:20 tells us that there is not one man on Earth who does not sin. In Psalms 38:3, the author admits that he can not rest because of sin. In James 1:15, it is states that sin ultimately leads to death. We can make efforts to avoid this. Ephesians 1:7 states that we can be forgiven through Christ. Unlike Beijing, we shouldn’t wait until our situation is at its worst and we have to face judgment. We need to make a change now.