Heros in our society and the saints

It's really strange how we worship celebrities. A lot of times, celebrities are only known for being famous. They might act in a few movies, but they are really better known for dating someone else who is famous, going to rehab, or denying that they had plastic surgery. Fans will wait for a long time in the cold screaming just to see their favorite celebrity. They are only famous for a few years and then we pay attention to someone else.

When I was a teen, I was a little guilty of that. I didn't look up to any secular artists more contemporary Christian musicians. Michael W. Smith, dc Talk, Rebecca St. James, and Amy Grant were some of my favorites. I honestly thought that they were great Christians because they were brave enough to write about God and were willing to not be as famous because of their stand. I was a teen when the word God and Jesus were in the songs, not like now.

My views changed after I realized that I don't really know them. Amy Grant divorced her first husband to begin dating her second soon to be husband. When she married her second husband, the National Enquirer had pictures of her wedding day for the whole world to see. The NIV Bible says that divorce is only allowed if there is unfaithfulness or abandonment. Plus, knowing how many Christians felt about her divorce and remarriage and her ex husbands feelings, I think that she should've kept her wedding a little more low key.

It's not just with Amy Grant, but some of the other musicians. Some of the men have wives and children, and they are touring a lot away from their wives and children. I know that they feel that they are doing this for the Gospel. If they truly wanted to reach others with their music, they need to make a stronger statement with their songs, instead of singing a love song and saying that its about God. Also, a lot of these musicians are wealthy and live in large homes and have hot tubs and all kinds of other luxuries. If they truly believed in the Gospel, why aren't they living on less, so they can give their money to the poor?

I went to my Protestant church and asked my leaders about that. They said that I was unfairly judging them by my standards and I expected them to be perfect. After they said that, I kind of felt that I shouldn't look up to anyone and I didn't for a long time. Then I learned about the saints.

If there is anyone who deserves fans screaming and shivering outside in the cold for them, it is these guys. St. Francis of Assisi gave up all of his wealth to serve poor lepers. St Monica prayed for her son St. Augustine for years until he became a Christian. Father John Bosco battled a community leader and a bishop to help homeless boys in Turin, Italy. St. Rita prayed for her abusive husband for years, until he became a Christian, then she prayed for miracles for others.

None of these saints are perfect. In every biography that I have ever read about them, the writer always mentions their flaws. The thing that amazes me about them is that they don't let it get them down; they pray to God to help them, and He helps them overcome their sins so they can continue doing their good works. Plus, I feel like I can relate to them more because they face problems, like I do. I never heard about the Christian musicians' problems until after the fact.

It used to be my ultimate goal to meet these Christian musicians and to get them to think I was cool. Now I would just like to assist a saint to his/her good deeds; it would be a great honor in fact. Of course meeting a saint would be wonderful because unlike celebrities, Christian or not, they are so worthy of my admiration.