Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the
spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. James
4:5 (NLT)
I
was reminded the other night that American Idol is about to return to TV.
Hmmmmm.
Chuck
Swindoll, president at Dallas Theological Seminary has a wonderful little story
in one of his books, which speaks volumes more than I could ever say about the
mentality of such shows:
Maybe you heard about the guy who fell in
love with an opera singer. He hardly
knew her, since his only view of the singer was through binoculars – from the third
balcony. But he was convinced he could
live “happily ever after” married to a voice like that. He scarcely noticed she was considerably
older than he. Nor did he care that she
walked with a limp. Her mezzo-soprano
voice would take them through whatever might come.
After a whirlwind romance and a hurry-up
ceremony, they were off for their honeymoon together.
She began to prepare for their first night
together. As he watched, his chin
dropped to his chest.
She plucked out her glass eye and plopped it
into a container on the nightstand. She
pulled off her wig, ripped off her false eyelashes, yanked out her dentures,
unstrapped her artificial leg, and smiled at him as she slipped off her glasses
that hid her hearing aid.
Stunned and horrified, he gasped, For
goodness sake, woman, sing, sing, SING! [1]
As
the ancient saying goes, love is blind, which is obviously a
warning that it pays to “look below the surface”. It is a smart thing to understand what you’re
doing before you do what you’re about to do; look before you leap! In the case of the star-struck young man “in
love” with his opera star, the American Dream became more of his
personal nightmare.
We
Americans have a love affair with
fame and glitz. We love to have our
romantic ideals placed upon the stages of our otherwise boring lives. Somehow, 60 minutes of tension, filled with “will
she win; can he do it” is what does it for us. We need all those videos, dramatic vocal and
instrumental crashes, with sound bites and audience whoops to make our lives
meaningful. (All that AND a
new “live or die” tattoo down at Jimmy’s Body Art and Bait Shoppe).
Now,
don’t get me wrong altogether – I’m not against entertainment, music or someone
who can really perform (I’m actually rather jealous of anyone who can
carry a tune!). It’s really just the
lack of proportionality of it all. There’s
just something odd about placing second on American Idol, and, five minutes
later you’re qualified to run for Congress.
(That’s strange even in North Carolina!)
I
guess when it comes to hero-worship, my bar has been set pretty high. You can find exactly what will impress me if
you travel down the Via Dolorosa, away from Jerusalem, all the way to the hill that
looks like a skull.
That’s my stage; and it’s more
than an American Dream – that’s where my life begins.
For You Today:
Remember, I didn’t say you’re evil if you watch
American Idol; I just said you’re settling for way less than is out there!
Go for the Jerusalem idol; you won’t be disappointed
in Him!
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