My first celebrity sighting occurred at the age of fifteen. I was in New York City performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (just one of five hundred cheerleaders), and the night before the parade we were in Herald Square for rehearsal. Someone in my group spotted Joey Lawrence a few yards away, and within seconds every girl in my vicinity was awe-struck.
He wasn’t the only celebrity we saw that week, just the only one that mattered. (In 1995 there was a little show called Blossom). When I returned home, Joey Lawrence became a part of my NYC story, and I made sure everyone knew. One glimpse of him made me feel better about me. Suddenly my life wasn’t so boring anymore. Maybe now I wasn’t so boring anymore.
Celebrities are fascinating, aren’t they? Influential people have a way of getting our undivided attention. We gawk at them. We study them. We imitate them. We criticize them. And oddly enough, the closer we get to them, the better we feel about ourselves. As if our proximity to them changes us. Maybe it’s other people’s perception of us we want changed.
Often when we’re struggling with ourselves- and questioning who we are, wondering what we’re good at, or if we have anything good to offer, we find someone of influence to hide behind. Even if we’ve never really met them or if we only know them online, staying in their shadow can seem better than being who we are all on our own. Those with more influence or popularity help us forget the person we see in the mirror every morning.
Looking up to influential people to learn from them isn’t a bad thing. I would say it’s a wise thing. We can (and should) learn from all kinds of people in various places and on different stages. It’s how we compare ourselves to those types of people that matters. It’s how we see our life in light of theirs that can be problematic. And the closer we get to influential people- whether it’s an actual relationship or just a sighting, the easier it is to fool ourselves. If we’re not careful, in an attempt to get better, we wrap our identity around them and their accomplishments. We settle for looking better instead.
No matter who you know or can get close to. No matter who your parents are, or who you’re married to. No matter who you call friend, or what your kids are capable of, wrapping my identity around anyone else’s success will lead to emptiness in my own heart and disappointment. Just like you, they are imperfect and broken. And like you, believe it or not, they have the same struggles you do. I’ve seen enough stories of people with influence who have wrecked their life- or worse, taken their life, to know that getting people’s attention does not satisfy.
Whenever I read the Bible, and study the life of Jesus, I pay close attention to how He handled people- especially attention and praise.
Jesus taught thousands, but He wasn’t impressed by crowds. He would heal people and ask them not to tell anyone. We see instances of Him trying to get rid of the crowds, but stayed with them because He felt compassion for them.
Jesus approached crowds to serve and teach, to help and heal. He didn’t seek attention, but He didn’t run from it either. He seemed comfortable in a crowd without demanding a crowd.
In John 8, Jesus was questioned by the Jewish leaders. “Who do You think You are?,” they asked. Jesus responded in verse 54 (in the Voice translation), “If I were trying to make Myself somebody important, it would be a waste of my time. That kind of fame is worth nothing. It is the Father who is behind Me, urging Me on, giving Me praise.”
Jesus knew who He was and found acceptance and attention from the only One whose attention mattered- His Father. He could engage people without needing their approval. He could speak truth without fear of rejection. He could interact with the leaders of the day without trying to impress them. Because it wasn’t them He cared about impressing, it was his Father.
Jesus could be Himself, and it’s one of the reasons I think so many people wanted to be near Him. When we know who we are it’s attractive to be around. When we step out from the shadows of other people’s success, it shows we are more confident in who God created us to be than impressing anyone else. People want to be around those who are confident and comfortable in their own skin.
So next time you are impressed and wowed by an influential person, compliment and learn from them, but recognize they are having to overcome the same questions and doubts you have. Maybe they manage it a little differently than you (and that’s something to pay attention to). Those who find their worth and identity in Christ will be much more satisfied than those seeking to impress and keep the attention of people. In the words of Jesus, “That kind of fame is worth nothing”.
God, help me to remember that attention from people is fleeting, but approval from You is what matters most.