No. 1
I heard a cute story on the radio that made me think. The artist of the No. 1 song that week was being interviewed and he mentioned his 4-year-old daughter was good at math. He then went on to relate how she, upon finding out her daddy’s song was No. 1, encouraged him to get it higher, like to 10. He explained that even at her young age, she had perceived that, usually, more is better. She didn’t understand how ranking No. 1 was better than No. 2 and so on.
That made me think. There have been many times in my life when I’ve struggled to get a higher rank. For example, even today, if I take a college class, I want an “A” even if I’m auditing the class and get no grade at the end. What is wrong with that?
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV
There is nothing wrong with striving to improve as long as you are working on yourself and not against someone else. If, for you to win, you have to make someone else lose, then you are sinning against your brother.
I think that is what bothers me most about politics. It seems the playbook is to spin your position as positive while demonizing your opponent any way you can. By the way, this is the most non-partisan aspect of both parties.
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” - Ephesians 4:26-32
But, back to being No. 1. In the case of the songwriter, he could be proud of having the top song. It was based, I believe, on data of the number of people listening to or requesting it above all other songs. People weren’t voting against another song but picking his instead.
In my case, my desire to get an “A” in a class (even a faux “A”) reflects my effort and skill and doesn’t require someone else to get a lower grade. Fortunately, I’ve never taken a class that was graded on a curve, but even then, it isn’t completely relative.
The one thing I know I’m glad that isn’t ranked is my sins. I worry that if I were ranked according to my sins, I’d be near the bottom. Praise God that Jesus died for my sins and wiped them all away.
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” - Romans 3:21-25
