By Kent d Curry
January 22, 2007

 

Numerous hopefuls from Minneapolis were featured on American Idol’s premiere Tuesday night. It was the predictable mix of deluded aspirants, mean judges, and ecstatic winners.

One candidate caught my attention. While many wore strange costumes or espoused unmatchable American Idol knowledge to get noticed, this teen juggled and sang. Being only slightly more skilled at juggling than singing, the judges derided his singing, gave him a chance to show off his juggling skills, shattered his hopes again, then unanimously rejected him.

He exited cursing.

 

 

The Cry of This Generation
Between expletives, obviously crushed, he revealed he’d never been so humiliated in his entire life. ‘They said I should stick to juggling, but I’m a singer,’ he insisted. His family consoled him, told him he was only 16, and he’d have other chances to prove himself. Then he said it. He broke down on his mother’s shoulder and between sobs, said, “I wanted to start out famous.”

I wanted to start out famous.

 

Leaving aside the small fact that anything so easily attained isn’t worth the effort, this bald sentiment underlies the unshakeable belief of our age: “I don’t matter unless I’m famous.”

 

There are few beliefs so antithetical to Christianity. 

 

American Idol or Jesus Imitator?
Jesus promised eternal life to those who fed the hungry, clothed the poor, and visited the sick and prisoners (Matthew 25:34-36). Jesus said we must become like a child, innocent, and open (Mark 10:13-16). Jesus said we should pray privately (Matthew 6:5-6) and give generously yet without notice (Matthew 6:1-4, Luke 21:1-4).

 

Jesus wants us to pursue our God-given talents, not for the ephemerality of fame but the immortality of His kingdom. That pursuit might include fame, wealth, and power, but they must be byproducts of the process of achieving for Him.

 

The media conjures a dream of fame before a sleepwalking society, convincing them that importance resides inside a frame—be it a laptop’s, television’s, or cell phone’s. Anyone outside of that frame is beneath notice.

Jesus says everyone matters, no matter how little talent, wealth, or influence. The point of life is to make a difference in the lives of others, not achieve selfish gratifications.

 

The rejected Minneapolis teenager unwittingly disclosed the craving of his age. Jesus offers the opposite answer to every generation. How we live our lives tells others who we’re emulating.

 

ninetyandnine.com

 

© 2007, Kent d Curry

 

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Kent d Curry is an executive editor of ninetyandnine.com.