Where do your thoughts go when I mention names like Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Britney Spears?
Maybe apathy? Maybe disgust? Maybe envy? Where should the attitude of our hearts be?
I don’t want to encourage any comments that judge these people and their actions, but do you have the same compassion and grace for them that you would have toward a person close to you who doesn’t know Jesus or is in rebellion?
Take this opportunity to examine the attitude of your heart, and pray for Lindsey, Paris, and Britney, because God can do mighty things in the midst of struggle.
What Do You Think Of Them?
Thanks for your comments! Comments must be approved by a moderator before
they appear on the site, so be patient if it doesn't show up right away.
To learn how our comment system works and what types of comment are
appropriate, read our discussion
rules and the guidelines at GoodComment.com before commenting.
14 Comments
Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.
Loading ...
July 27, 2007 at 13:21
My first though is complete befuddlement at people’s obsessive fetish with celebrity. What’s the big deal???
July 27, 2007 at 13:46
Why would I think of them?
July 27, 2007 at 13:53
I think if I’m honest with myself, I feel a mixture of envy and disdain when I think of celebrities like the one you mention. On the one hand, no matter how clear it is that money and wealth don’t bring meaning to life, it’s hard not to wish I had it myself. And I feel disdain and a sense of moral superiority because these celebrities, who seem to have such a head-start over the rest of us as far as life opportunities go, always seem to wreck it all with drugs and other easily-predictable pitfalls.
And another part of me feels guilty for both of those reactions, because I know neither of them is a Christlike response. They’re fallen people who need Christ just like everybody else. And I suspect that any joy they receive from their celebrity status is largely outweighed by the fact that their every failing, big or small, is scrutinized and discussed by millions of people they don’t know.
July 27, 2007 at 15:03
I think its interesting too…that we all fail daily, mess up and do stupid stuff. Its just they got lucky to be in the spot light of the public eye. Are we really that much different? Sadly I think they use these failings as publicity and to become more “popular” because there a “bad girl” or “bad guy” who lives on the edge. I think its more or less human depravity that we simply fall into this trap, whether we are participating or observing.
July 27, 2007 at 16:18
My first reaction to these and Anna Nicole stories is… who the heck cares?? But then I take my pill and take a deep breath and realize that SOMEBODY must care or they wouldn’t pay Katie Couric so much $$ to cover these insipid stories instead of things like the war and the economy.
Then my second reaction is that I pray to God that my 12 year-old twin daughters have the values and the brain cells they were blessed with to make better choices.
There but for the grace of God… go I.
July 27, 2007 at 17:55
My first reaction? Sadness. Many of these celebrities are little more than children and haven’t had the luxury of growing up away from the unending stare of the Paparazzi. It’s almost as if they’re being burnt out by the camera flashes.
Celebrity is a game and those ladies are nothing more than pawns.
July 28, 2007 at 07:55
I always hope the view presented in the media is not accurate; you always hope for the best – but it is clearly hard to be a celebrity and few navigate through the pitfalls. Lindsay played such a sympathetic character in the Parent Trap that (even though I am transferring affection from her role to her person) I always seem to be rooting for her. I don’t know the religious beliefs of someone like, say, Drew Barrymore, but at least she seems to have hit the bottom and is coming back up as a balanced person.
I also like to keep an eye on what Bob Dylan is doing. He seems to cope with fame pretty well.
July 28, 2007 at 12:23
Thank you for this post. It fits with some things I am currently wrestling with. I must confess that my first response is also often, “Who cares?”, but as a believer, I need to keep being reminded that I need to care. Caring doesn’t mean being caught up in obsessing over either how great OR how awful we think they are. But it does mean having a heart and mind that hurts for those who are hurting, and longs for the grace of God to make a difference in that person’s life.
I think the question asked is especially important: “Do you have the same compassion and grace for them that you would have toward a person close to you who doesn’t know Jesus or is in rebellion?”
It is too easy to either idealize or disdain people who are different from us. Thinking about this question from the perspective of celebrities who seem to be self-destructing, helps me as I think about other people who I am uncomfortable around—whether because of mental illness or lifestyle choices or any number of other reasons. It keeps coming back to, “Do I love this person as Jesus does?” “Do I care about this person?” and “How could the faithfulness of God be demonstrated in this person’s life?” Thanks again.
July 30, 2007 at 06:21
Thanks for the questions. My husband and I were talking about this yesterday, and I must confess that my attitude toward them wasn’t very Christian. I guess my first reaction is usually frustration and incomprehension. Incomprehension that people who are given so much are so willing to throw it all away. And frustration because, whether I like it or not, my daughter and her friends are watching this through their naive eyes and storing it somewhere in the backs of their minds.
Thank you for the convicting questions. I hope that I will think of this the next time I see their faces plastered all over the magazines at the check-out stand. And maybe I can use the opportunity to teach my daughter to pray for others as well.
July 30, 2007 at 12:43
I see very little difference between these folks and the rest of us. Look at Luke 7:47. We (thoseof us who claim Christ)have been forgiven much. If you see that, you realize celebs are just like us. If you fail to see that similarity, you have missed the point of Romans 3:23. One of the worst things ever said is, “God loves good little boys and girls.” God loves all of us, without distinction. We need to support the people who are making efforts to bring the gospel to people like the ones mentioned. Pray, pray, and pray again.
July 30, 2007 at 17:10
We exclude some from the Grace of God because of their wretchedness and poverty. Others we cast aside on the basis of wealth or celebrity. Take away the Porsches and the photos and you have young women with souls destined for either a blessed eternity with Jesus or a miserable one without Him-nothing more and nothing less.
July 31, 2007 at 14:35
The media exposes them to show where they lack control in their lives (and obviously Jesus). Hey, I’m not a celebrity (far from it), but I wouldn’t want cameras following me everywhere I go. Who knows what they catch me doing. Pray for me… oh and pray for them too… they are no different from you and I. We are not sinless, we just sin less (and sometimes more).
July 31, 2007 at 17:44
Thanks for everyone that reminded me to care regardless of their status in life. It does just come down to how much they need help. The only aspect of situations like these is the unequal treatment recieved. The average joe would recieve much more time in jail. Perhaps this is the reason that the behavior continues. When I made a mistake (a very serious one) my jail time and fines were enough to teach me my lesson.
August 4, 2007 at 02:00
They are lost. They just happen to be more publicly lost that most people. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to them and that those people in their lives who are Christ followers are able to love them and help them see the possibility for transformation that Christ offers.