The popular news television program, 20/20, conducted a massive survey soliciting teen responses to this question:
“If you had to choose between three wishes, which of the following would you choose: Increased intelligence, increased beauty or fame?”
The results were stunning. Overwhelmingly, the majority of those surveyed chose fame over the others. When questioned further, young people in particular said they would rather be merely an assistant to someone famous than be a CEO of a successful company.
Are we really that desperate for a little extra glitz? As Ralph Waldo Emerson poignantly reminded, “We spend our incomes for paint and paper, for a hundred trifles, I know not what, and not the things of a man. Our expense is almost all for conformity. It is for cake that we run in debt; ‘tis not the intellect, not the heart, not beauty, not worship that costs so much.” Americans are obsessed with stardom. The long row of glamour magazines lining checkout lines speaks loud enough. And though we’d like to believe our churches are immune, the fame craze permeates our faith.
Ever volunteered for a ministry because you wanted to feel important? Ever catered to certain friendships because of the extra visibility they might offer? As we attempt to propel ourselves to visible heights and likewise raise others to unrealistic pedestals of fame, we lose a true sense of our value. As a result, we live driven by the pursuit of making a name for ourselves, and end up losing our truest selves in the process.
In a culture where self-promotion is not only accepted but encouraged, God speaks a different word: Our significance is secure—with or without a name in lights.
Are you still looking for your 15 seconds of fame?
“LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known.” ~Habakkuk 3:2
- Day 232 (Monday): Habakkuk 1-3
- Day 233: Jeremiah 41-45
- Day 234: Jeremiah 46-48
- Day 235: Jeremiah 49-50
- Day 236: Jeremiah 51-52
- Day 237: Lamentations 1:1-3:36
- Day 238: Lamentations 3:37-5:22
What a contrast in our worldly pursuit of our 15 minutes of fame and what the Lord says –
Isaiah 57:15
(King James Version)
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.