Rich & Famous

How do you feel about spending time with someone famous?

Most people become filled with excitement to share time with those who are famous or a professional in a sport or other talent. People, especially the youth, tend to have a mindset, when they are with someone wealthy and famous, that they should get something from them. Prime example is when Oprah Winfrey started giving large gifts to her audience members after she became wealthy. People almost came to expect that they should receive a gift, just because she gave to some. I know how badly I wanted to be on her Christmas show, where she gave the audience all of her favorite things from that year. Our desire to receive gifts and accumulate recognition and wealth in this world is human nature. It is also human nature to become jealous of others who have something we believe we want. However, being famous or having a padded bank account does not change the fact that this is a person. And separate from those two facts; hope, joy, love and peace are not a guarantee.

With great wealth comes great sacrifice. The sacrifices made by Oprah to gain great wealth and recognition is something that none of us could ever wrap our minds around. The idea that we are entitled to gifts from the wealthy is self- serving. The truth is, Oprah did the work to earn her wealth. Yet, there is still a sense of entitlement at times. “They don’t need all of that money.”

With great wealth comes great responsibility. The struggles of the rewards of money and wealth for the rich and famous come at a price. There are a number of areas that we all take fore-granted that the rich and famous are faced with; finding authentic friends, walking around in public without drawing a crowd or paparazzi, the freedom to be free outside in our own personal space. Relinquishing these freedoms to have a compound on earth in exchange for wealth and fame have always seemed like a hard trade-off to me. Money doesn’t buy freedom.

Freedom should be recognized, and comes at a price. Freedom has been attained by many who have given their lives to protect our lives and allow freedom. Freedom to walk outside without fear. Freedom to drive on open roads without fear of being targeted or attacked. Free to be our own individual, and to make our own choices.

In this country, so many of us have been blessed with freedom. The freedom to choose. This was God's gift to man, as well. He gave us free will. The challenge in lies with knowing and living in truth with the knowledge of good and evil. The challenge is choosing good, and knowing that choosing evil will result in eventual pain or suffering.

The truth is that most of us in this country have all our needs met. Most of us are free to do as we please. And if we happen to encounter a famous person, while out and about, we do receive something. This encounter with said famous person gives us a story. A story that will be fun to share with others throughout our lifetime. A story of the time you met, said famous person. I know that I have enjoyed sharing of my encounter with Antonio Banderas in my 30s. How little it takes for human-beings to believe they are special, because of someone well-known that they have encountered.

The world's most well-known man to walk the earth was Jesus. People flocked to Him and most were blessed in His presence. Paul became so moved by His encounter with God on the road to Damascus (and the miracles He revealed to him) that he wrote letters, filled with encouragement and knowledge, to cities who also had believers of Jesus. These letters became books that are recorded in the Bible.

Paul made great sacrifices after this encounter with God. Paul no longer desired to serve his own needs, as Saul, but he became Paul and lived out the rest of his life sharing the good news of Jesus, the Son of God. He had all the money and power in his old life, and relinquished it all to share the greatest gifts that Jesus offered; faith, hope, love, joy, and peace.

The responsibility of sharing the good news of Jesus came at a huge price for Paul. He was killed by jealous men who wanted to stop him from sharing the good news of Jesus. It was only 30 years after Jesus was crucified that Paul wrote down these stories of Jesus' life and words that He spoke on earth.

The Bible contains the life stories of Jesus and instruction from God. It is up to each one of us to make the sacrifice and be responsible in our days to seek and come to know Him. The truth is that Jesus sacrificed His life for each and every one of us, because we are all sinners. Shouldn't this sacrifice that He made for us, make us long to choose good over evil and live in truth? The only way to live this way is by faith. Hopefully each one of us will seek and long to know God and His Son before we will be subjected to a life changing event, such as Paul endured.

"As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked. 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' he replied." -Acts 9: 3- 6