Good versus Nice

You may have wondered what the picture on the cover of this edition of WACMEN is all about. When scouring the internet for a something to adequately describe the concept of this article I had to pause myself and think, “what a weird picture that is”. Nevertheless, it does speak to the idea I want to address and so let me explain.

Suppose you went into a store and saw these two brand new unused babies head candle holders and you bought them and took them home. You placed them on the mantle piece and there they sat admired by guests and relatives alike. They were a great conversation piece and some friends even expressed that they would like to have a pair just like that – they were so popular.

One night however you had a blackout and stumbled around for ages looking for candles and couldn’t find any. In desperation you took one of the babies head candles and lit it up so you could have light. The candle burned well and provided you light while you did your evening chores. It burned well into the night by your bed as you were reading and finally you fell asleep. In the morning the power came on and when you woke you found that you had pretty much stuffed one of the babies heads up and it now didn’t match the other nice new one.

As friends and relatives dropped by comments were made about how much a shame it was that the used babies head was ruined and how it didn’t match the new one that stood nicely by it’s side. Yeah, I said “nicely”. You see the new candle had not seen any real action and had not even served it’s purpose yet but it received all the attention. The used babies head candle however had served a very worthy purpose and had been used for what it was supposedly designed for yet it received only comments like “what a shame” and “oh now it makes the pair look bad”.

You would have to agree that now it is pretty ugly and yes it doesn’t look NICE anymore but it was GOOD wasn’t it?

I mean, we were all happy gathering around the light it shed and we were pretty happy when it got us out of a tight spot because we didn’t have to fumble around in the dark anymore. And what, now we don’t like it because it doesn’t look nice? We liked what it did for us but we didn’t like it when it started to look like a used candle.

Maybe I’m taking the illustration too far but the bottom line here is that the nice candle is only nice as long as it doesn’t get used for what it was designed for – to give light. The used candle on the other hand became ugly when it started fulfilling it’s good and proper function but the nice candle only looked nice because it stayed out of the way from being used.

In our service to God then, is it possible to be so consumed about the appearance of being nice, that we fail to engage and become good practical Christians for fear of turning ugly? Paul Coughlin in his book No More Christian Nice Guy explains the concept of good versus nice this way,

...Nice people worship at the altar of other people’s approval. Jesus did not. Nice people when criticized often crumble and hide. Good people keep going, the way Jesus did...

Have we become nice men at church instead of good men? Have our priorities morphed into a desperate obsession to be liked obscuring what we have been commanded to be? Have we placed a higher value on appearing nice to everyone rather than the biblical value of doing the good and proper thing which is right?

Jesus did not say to the disciples before he left, “go forth and be liked”. He said, “go forth and teach and preach whatever I have told you” – despite the consequences. Jesus warned us we will have enemies – “all who live the gospel as it should be lived will suffer persecution”.

Doing what we are told is good and practical but it may make us appear ugly – can we live with that? Jesus was not one to compromise even if people hated Him and felt he was not nice.

The famous Pink Floyd song Wish You Were Here asks us;

Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?

Compromising and not doing what is good just so we can be popular or at ease is something so distasteful to God that it makes Him want to vomit. One hundred percent, “hot or cold” is God’s preference rather than us steering around our duty in order to avoid discomfort. Do something for me.

Look again at the candle holders and ask yourself, which one served it’s purpose and which one was just an ornament? The used candle looks ugly and certainly doesn’t look nice but it sure was good while it lasted. Which one would you rather be when God asks, “what did you do with the life I gave you?”

Danny Bell
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Hamelin Bay Camp

As if driving down to Augusta wasn’t good enough with the rolling green hills and ancient forests to keep us company. When we arrived at Hamelin we were greeted with solitude and rugged nature at it’s best.

The campsite was chosen by Murray Dunstan and it was a cracker. After an evening bush walk adventure into some caves, the fire was lit and a sweet aroma of sausages and mushrooms (no not that kind), filled the campsite.

After an awesome sleep with the waves crashing in the distance all night, we were woken by the excitement of some who went fishing down at the beach to come and see Dolphins herding large schools of Salmon into the breakers. We quickly headed down and watched in awe as some professional Salmon fishermen encircled a net around them and dragged them to shore, about 10 ton of fish in my estimation.

Afterwards the tour-de-Augusta was underway and a group of keen cyclists rode to the Augusta lighthouse and back. A few sore bums later and some more food and campfire dreaming we awoke for the final initiation – a dive off Augusta Bay point where the water was clear and the fish were everywhere. What an awesome little town Augusta is and what a great place to stay and get wet.

This camp was well attended and had a lot of activities to suit everyone even some keen photographers came along and entered the action with some nice dawn shots. We are currently planning our next trip to Rottnest Island so keep checking the Buddy Board for this event.
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