Smog of more than the air

Have you ever driven from the country into a large metropolitan area? You will notice this gloomy brown cloud that engulfs the entire city. As you drive into it, you notice it less and less, but once out of it, you can see it again.

I was driving into Kansas City today and saw that ‘wonderful’ brown cloud hovering above and throughout the city and thought, “this smog is more than just air pollution.” What do I mean? If you notice, large cities are often full of crime ranging from theft and prostitution to murder. Kansas City is no oasis from these crimes, but seems to serve as an oasis for these crimes. What if the smog was more than just pollution? What if that haze of brown above and throughout the city represented the sin from God’s perspective of the city?

Think of Sodom and Gomorrah. Their sin was so great that God destroyed them. Is our city much different? In Kansas City, you can see a murder reported on the nightly news almost daily. The Liberty Memorial has become a homosexual hang out where they “hook up.” Theft is all around you, and to walk the streets at night in many areas of the down town would be asking for trouble. The sin of the city reeks.

Ironically, much like the smog, we enter the city daily without thought to the sin around us. Before we know it, when someone uses an acronym for a swear word like the one I heard yesterday in a meeting while discussing the interview process and the notes that some write; “NFW,” how soon before we fill in what the F stands for? Just like the smog that fills our lungs with each breath, the sin of the city permeates our conscience and we don’t even realize the impact that it has on us.

Now, small towns are not immune to sin or are free from it, but the smog of the small town is not as noticeable. Hmm…maybe that is even more dangerous. As for the smog of Kansas City or any city, may we enter into it with the heart of compassion, the courage of the Lion, and gentleness of a dove as we boldly witness to the lost among us. If we focus on Christ rather than the culture, His strength and His shield will keep the sin from permeating us.

Is the smog just pollution of the air, or is it pollution of our minds as well?