power, the political aphrodisiac

Lin Yutang, the influential Chinese writer, noted that "when small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set.” We know that great men cast big shadows and nations are blessed by the impact of their lives and the legacies they leave. But there are also small men who cast big shadows and society is left in shambles. History has a way of producing its fair share of Hitlers, Stalins, Pol Pots, and Kim Jong-ils and they all cast enormous shadows. As the sun goes down, millions are affected adversely by their reigns.
       It is interesting how the labels, “big” and “small” – and all other descriptive adjectives as well – gain their meaning from context. One can be big in size, in importance, in character, or in many other ways. A person can be small in size yet at the same time be big in any number of ways. Currently we often see on political TV a Baptist pastor from Dallas who is both small and big; short in stature but big in his ability to discern what is going on in the world of good and evil. It so happens that if those descriptive words were changed around he probably wouldn’t be on TV.
       Positions of political importance seemed to be filled by those who are “big” in terms of social recognition. But it is the big in character to whom we are drawn in every day life. Theologically it all goes back to the tragic decision of Adam. Unbridled concern for self is the original sin. It determined man’s self-centered relationship to life. However, it is the “small” Christian who is becoming more and more like Christ. Big Christians (an oxymoron?) seem to have stopped growing.. The model for the sincere believer is to become “small” in the way that is exemplified by Jesus in his life among us.
       There is no question but there are plenty of genuinely big men in this world – that is, good men who are living out their days in a fair and honorable way. They pay their taxes, get along with their neighbors, work hard, raise good kids, contribute to charity, etc. Then why do "small men" seem so often to be in charge? What is there about power that attracts? Christian theology teaches that man (and I use the word genetically) is a creature made in God's image, but flawed by disobedience. The result is universal narcissism. Power is the political aphrodisiac that all too often draws the unqualified into public office. Plato was right when he said, "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
       What a nation needs in positions of leadership are good men able to resist the corrupting influence of power. Faith in Christ is a transforming experience in which bigness (the desire for personal recognition) is replaced by smallness (the willingness to place others ahead of one’s concern for self). The road up has first to go down. God’s answer to the basic human error is that we let go once and for all our natural desire to control, or as the metaphor puts it, to become small and let God take care of everything else.