Who Else?
Working on a school project he went to his grandma to ask questions about their family history. She began telling stories about how the family came to the area in covered wagons and built their homestead, eking out a living from the land.
The young boy listened fairy quietly (for a young boy). Eventually he asked, "Don't we have anyone famous in the family?"
"Well," she said, "there was great great grandpa Samuel. He was a code talker."
"You mean like those during WWII?"
"No. He created the code they use on the telegraph lines. You know Mores Code; the dots and dashes that people use to send a message. He was my great, great grandpa which makes him your great, great, great grandpa. He was pretty famous."
As the boy listened, he took notes about how Morse code came into being and how the family eventually spread to the Ozark hills. Embellishing the facts just a bit, she spun a story for him which he carefully wrote down.
Finally finishing with all she knew about him, the boy raised his pencil and asked, "Cool, that makes a good part to my paper, so who else in our family is famous?"
Who else?
Fame . . . glory . . . notoriety . . . our fifteen minutes in the spotlight seems to be what most people crave. Once, we were concerned about living our lives with a good name. Now, with all the "reality" television people seem to be known more for how outlandish they can act that for the good the can do. We know the names of people made famous in the news for atrocious acts more than those who live their lives serving the needs of other.
Who doesn't shudder at the names of Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gassey, Jeffrey Dahmer, Timothy McVeigh, the school shootings at Columbine or Newtown Connecticut. We could name terrorists, reality TV stars who are known for drunken brawls and promiscuity.
Or who doesn't want to be known as the next greatest singer, actor, writer, politician or . . . and the list goes on. We seem to crave and expect fame.
God, our creator, redeemer, and sustainer doesn't seek fame. Instead, God works through the meek, the lowly, the "sinner" saved by grace. Rather than coming in splendor and glory of a royal family, God chose to come live among us through a poor child from a hard-working, itinerant family. God chooses those who are humble rather than those who seek fame.
We love to live in the spotlight. God loves to lift us out of the darkness and into the light--the light of God's love. We seek connections to the rich, the famous, and crave more. God provides for our needs rather than our wants.
God, teach us to bask in your love rather than false or fleeting praise. Teach us to be satisfied with who you created us to be rather than constantly seeking "who else" of fame to whom we can connect. Teach us, loving God, to see others as you see them, to seek connections with you, and to be satisfied with the simplicity of the lives you have given us. And if we happen to get our fifteen minutes of fame, may they point the way to you rather than ourselves. So be it. Amen.
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