Celebrity make over
I was watching TV the other day and an advertisement came on for a new show. It was billed as “Capture the style of your favorite celebrity.” I started thinking why would I want to be like a celebrity? Why would people want to be like a celebrity? What portion of the human condition does this speak to? What neediness does it fill? Then I decided to play along, what celebrity do I like? Then I thought do I really want to change the way I live, just to be like someone else? What star does that for me? Wow, that is a short list.
Then I started thinking about what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Am I just trying to capture the “style” of Christ? To put on the outward trappings of a style just seems so shallow. I remember what Jesus said to Nicodemus. “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” This does not sound like putting on some kind of veneer, an outward pretence of being like Jesus. It is a remaking from the inside that is then evidenced on the outside.
What is so cool about this process with God is that we become our true selves. We begin to stop pretending to be someone else, and become who God made us to be. It frees me from wanting to be like some celebrity, yet draws me to becoming truly Christ like. In the process of becoming Christ like, God shows me who I truly am. This is not a journey without pain; however, it is an infinitely good journey. CS Lewis said “I have never met a mere mortal.” Lewis is saying we are all important. We do not need to become like a celebrity because we are all stars.
Allow God to show you who you really are, and then you can really shine. “For if the father has set you free then you are free indeed”