Self-Worth & Celebrity
Please see me.
Please notice me.
I am special.
I didn't use any of those words as I introduced myself to the pastor and his wife, but I certainly conveyed their meaning. I still remember the warmth and compassion of her smile as she made me feel valued.
The interaction was only a few minutes, but I still remember it over a decade later.
Why do we look to those bigger than us for validation of our existence? Yes, many of us are looking for what we did not receive at home, but I think there's a deeper reason still.
We are looking for value.
We are looking for meaning.
We are looking for others to imbue self-worth into us.
I can only imagine how Jesus must have looked at the women he ministered to, women so empty of worth as to make themselves available for the worst kind of attention.
I see you.
I notice you.
You are valuable.
A lifetime of love hunger will drive a person to desperate measures. I look on crazed celebrity fans with compassion, because I see the same love hunger inside myself, although I express mine rather differently.
Fame is an interesting resource. It can be a blessing, it can also be a challenge or a curse. Just because a person has more status does not necessarily mean that they have a greater understanding of their value, in fact, they may often feel even less valuable because they see the clamor for their attention and recognize that their crazed fan is idolizing their status without seeing their humanity.
"Do people care about me for me or do they only like me because I'm famous?"
Proverbs identifies this same phenomenon among the rich:
The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.
Proverbs 14:20
I think this also explains why the rich become brusque and callous in their actions: they tire of the pandering.
The poor use entreaties, but the rich answer roughly.
Proverbs 18:23
We are all looking for value, in different places and different ways.
"You are a real person in the world at large, and if you notice me, it means that I am real too."
My first @ reply on Twitter was from the producer of my favorite band. He had 300 followers back then and it was easy to stand out. I still remember the thrill I felt when real people noticed me (and even followed me back!). Those interactions helped me keep going in a time where I especially needed to feel the love of God through the people around me.
Please see me.
Please notice me.
I am special.
The young girl looked up at me, her smile bright in her eyes. She didn't use those words, but I heard their meaning, and for a split second, I saw myself in her all those years ago.
"You are special!"
I gushed over her in that moment and thanked God for the abundance I felt in my heart that I was able to share with her.
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