I have always been intrigued by certain pop music stars. There’s something that draws me in to them. Its been this way since I read an article on Courtney Love about a decade ago in a Rolling Stone magazine. In that article she shared how she felt alone, how she wrote music, and the stream of thought that she was continually on. I remember wondering what she would be like if she had some consistency in her life through people…people who weren’t looking to take from her fame or use her. How would her life be different if she had a group of people who unconditionally loved her and encouraged her through her drug addiction, marital problems, the loss of her husband to suicide and so on. Would she be different?
I thought the same thing of Amy Winehouse. Such a big personality and a huge talent caught up in the mess of life. She used alcohol to escape life, amongst other things, and in the end, the addictions won. What if there were people there, not allowing her to alienate herself and hide?
Understand, I’m not naive. I would guess that there are and were people around trying to do this. I understand that fame pushes and pulls in ways that I will never understand. Each life like Courtney’s or Amy’s is a huge mess of fame, fortune, addiction, brokenness. How much power did some of those things have in keeping healing away?
I have similar thoughts and sadness for Miley Cyrus. Here’s a young girl born from fame thrown into popularity where every action and reaction is magnified by our culture and media. I would guess she’s achieved the fame and fortune that the world wants her to achieve, yet she’s at the same time, been walled in by that fame and fortune. She’s become a prisoner to her own self.
Maybe this is similar to what happened to Michael Jackson. Child star turned super-world star, pressed in on all sides by his fame and fortune, every action and reaction microscopically analyzed and criticized. There was musical genius within the music he made, no matter whether you like his music or not. Everything was specifically placed and on purpose. Yet, the musical genius couldn’t save himself. At best it learned to medicate and manage, rather than overcome.
While I know there is no way that I could become friends with any of these people, living or not. Who am I to them? Who would I be to them? As I write, though, I ask myself this question, “How am I creating this safe place that I would want for these few individuals for those that I do know?” How am I helping people find rest and hope in the Kingdom of God?
How do we do it? How do we make a safe place for people to come in, in whatever state they are in, to find hope, peace, and love? Are we fooling ourselves as the church saying we are this when we really aren’t? Are we actively pushing to make this place for real? We are called to be the kingdom–a place where we enjoy the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Not only are we to experience it, we are to help others experience it.
Lord, help us to die to ourselves so we can live you for the world.
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