I suppose people are entitled to their opinions, but some comments I've read lately (and wish I hadn't) concerning award nominees are positively scathing.
Whether it's the Nobel Prize, the Academy Awards, the Dove Awards, the Grammy's, Stellar's or a local pie eating contest, the fact is that someone is not going to be happy about the next trophy winner. Someone is always ranting about who is, or is not deserving, and the criticism usually has absolutely nothing to do with the ability or skill for which the award is given.
Our propensity to exact swift judgment for others, while reserving grace and mercy for ourselves, would be funny were it not so sad.
I thought to myself, "Many people count others out, and fully expect them to stay out. I'm glad that God has plans and doesn't move according to our timetables and recommendations".
People really do take a huge chance when they dare trot out their talents in front of other people. Achieve any degree of notoriety, and the microscope intensifies to examine not only an individual's talent, but every, waking, glorious or embarrassing moment of their lives. I don't know of anyone who has a talent who says to themselves, "I want to use my talent to become famous so that I can be hated by as many people as possible. I want notoriety so that the shameful details of my personal life can be splashed across newspaper pages. I'm going to share my talent because I desire to be humiliated, picked apart, and held up as the pristine example of human perfection".
Most of the talented people I know are also among the shyest. They want to be in front of people about as much as they want a hole in their heads. They tried and failed in their argument with God when he came calling--a God who knew them much better than they knew themselves. Some even went so far as to suggest to God that He choose, and use others of His more talented, and seemingly, more qualified children.
The minute someone is elevated in any way, there are those who are only too quick to begin a campaign of bringing them back down to earth. There is a Sea of Forgetfulness, praise the Lord, but the internet, the mainstream media, and the good 'ol people next door are the relentless fishermen that keep sailing upon it in an effort to reel in an old catch. Many enlist the services of the fishermen to feed a lust for personal moral superiority among their peers and fellow human beings.
Some of the statements made to, questions asked of, and unrealistic requirements of so-called celebrities never cease to amaze me. Many say that they ask for it when they choose to make their talents known. Many say that scrutiny and lack of privacy are a part of the territory. Many say that the minute one becomes famous, they also immediately become role models. I contend that a lot of what constitutes news and needed information, is merely gossip dished out under the guise of concern, curious interest, and just plain malicious nosiness or cattiness. We build pedestals in the form of awards and honors, but we soon forget what we initially built them to display. Like a pack of wolves, the minute someone fails to live up to our expectations, we not only tear down the pedestals, but the people we perch upon them. One discretion, and we want our awards, honors and accolades back. We sanctimoniously step on already down individuals, banish them to our own personally maintained versions of hell, remove any chance of redemption, dare them to show their faces, and commence our futile search for a perfect representative of our causes and culture. We say we're happy, and offer half-hearted congratulations, but we don't really like it when people, whom we have personally buried, are resurrected and given another chance-- without our approval.
I'm rambling, I suppose, because I'm wondering if the secular music community is more adept at the principal of forgiveness than the Christian community. The Grammy awards are given in recognition of musical excellence. It is blindingly clear that the only focus is music, (well, sometimes, anyway). If the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences started snooping into the private lives of its award recipients and based its decisions on whether or not singers and musicians "lived right", there would be zero awards given, and the awards night would be eerily quiet. No one is checking on whether or not their favorite singers or bands, are really saved--even though the grungiest and most profane in their artistic expression, have been known to begin their acceptance speeches with an enthusiastic, "First, I wanna thank God..." Whether the listening public agrees with the Academy's choices, (or thinks they are all under the influence of something illegal, and need to take a trip to the nearest ear doctor), no one is demanding recounts or award returns. The only time that I know of when an award decision was rescinded, was because it was revealed that an award recipient wasn't actually providing the vocals on their recording. See? They didn't cheat on their significant others, they cheated on the music. These days, that infamous lip-synching duo would be celebrated along with all of the other musical science projects we get courtesy of some studio's computer whiz-of-an-engineer.
People really do take a huge chance when they dare trot out their talents in front of other people. Achieve any degree of notoriety, and the microscope intensifies to examine not only an individual's talent, but every, waking, glorious or embarrassing moment of their lives. I don't know of anyone who has a talent who says to themselves, "I want to use my talent to become famous so that I can be hated by as many people as possible. I want notoriety so that the shameful details of my personal life can be splashed across newspaper pages. I'm going to share my talent because I desire to be humiliated, picked apart, and held up as the pristine example of human perfection".
Most of the talented people I know are also among the shyest. They want to be in front of people about as much as they want a hole in their heads. They tried and failed in their argument with God when he came calling--a God who knew them much better than they knew themselves. Some even went so far as to suggest to God that He choose, and use others of His more talented, and seemingly, more qualified children.
The minute someone is elevated in any way, there are those who are only too quick to begin a campaign of bringing them back down to earth. There is a Sea of Forgetfulness, praise the Lord, but the internet, the mainstream media, and the good 'ol people next door are the relentless fishermen that keep sailing upon it in an effort to reel in an old catch. Many enlist the services of the fishermen to feed a lust for personal moral superiority among their peers and fellow human beings.
Some of the statements made to, questions asked of, and unrealistic requirements of so-called celebrities never cease to amaze me. Many say that they ask for it when they choose to make their talents known. Many say that scrutiny and lack of privacy are a part of the territory. Many say that the minute one becomes famous, they also immediately become role models. I contend that a lot of what constitutes news and needed information, is merely gossip dished out under the guise of concern, curious interest, and just plain malicious nosiness or cattiness. We build pedestals in the form of awards and honors, but we soon forget what we initially built them to display. Like a pack of wolves, the minute someone fails to live up to our expectations, we not only tear down the pedestals, but the people we perch upon them. One discretion, and we want our awards, honors and accolades back. We sanctimoniously step on already down individuals, banish them to our own personally maintained versions of hell, remove any chance of redemption, dare them to show their faces, and commence our futile search for a perfect representative of our causes and culture. We say we're happy, and offer half-hearted congratulations, but we don't really like it when people, whom we have personally buried, are resurrected and given another chance-- without our approval.
I'm rambling, I suppose, because I'm wondering if the secular music community is more adept at the principal of forgiveness than the Christian community. The Grammy awards are given in recognition of musical excellence. It is blindingly clear that the only focus is music, (well, sometimes, anyway). If the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences started snooping into the private lives of its award recipients and based its decisions on whether or not singers and musicians "lived right", there would be zero awards given, and the awards night would be eerily quiet. No one is checking on whether or not their favorite singers or bands, are really saved--even though the grungiest and most profane in their artistic expression, have been known to begin their acceptance speeches with an enthusiastic, "First, I wanna thank God..." Whether the listening public agrees with the Academy's choices, (or thinks they are all under the influence of something illegal, and need to take a trip to the nearest ear doctor), no one is demanding recounts or award returns. The only time that I know of when an award decision was rescinded, was because it was revealed that an award recipient wasn't actually providing the vocals on their recording. See? They didn't cheat on their significant others, they cheated on the music. These days, that infamous lip-synching duo would be celebrated along with all of the other musical science projects we get courtesy of some studio's computer whiz-of-an-engineer.
Live mikes aren't a lot of people's best friends, and they prove that we spend way too much time looking at music than listening to it... but I digress...
The Grammy's still regulate sacred music to a lesser rung on its totem pole.
Subsequently, other awards organizations were established to honor psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. As much as we'd like them to be, these organizations are not churches. They are not organized religions.
They are businesses whose bottom line, as it is with other businesses, is the dollar, not the soul. Awards that honor the best in Christian music are endeavoring to do just that--honor the music. What many listeners foolishly do is to watch lives more than they listen to the music. What listeners do is exalt and worship individuals instead of exalting the Savior. Now, don't we know by now that God will have none of that? We have got to stop expecting others to be more holy than we endeavor to be. We have got to remember that the Word of God is true no matter who preaches or sings it. Jesus has to be our focus. If we "sit down", kick out, disband, fire, hide, ban, or ship south to auntee, every individual guilty of wrong-doing, there would be no sermons, teachings, or music to hear.
Awards given in recognition of true musical excellence; that honor those who have been blessed with melodious voices and impeccable skill on instruments are fine and dandy What, however, are the criteria for receiving awards? What are the criteria for giving one back? Let's say an individual does feel compelled to return an award given for excellence in musical performance. Who makes up the perfect body of people that will take it from them? Shall we now examine the moral integrity of the individuals who make up the body into whose hands the awards were returned? I think not. The goal, I sincerely believe, is not to deceive the listening public or consider them suckers in some musical get-rich-quick scheme. I believe the aim is to live the lives about which one sings, but thank God for Jesus. Thank God for having the love and foresight to graciously recognize that his creation wouldn't always measure up, no matter how hard we all try. Three scriptures came to mind:
"Be sure your sins will find you out Numbers 3:23
"If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you 1 John 1:9
"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?" Romans 2:1-3
They apply to ALL of us whether we sing, preach, teach or work at the Waffle House. Music industry conglomerates and awards organizations are not judges of moral character, nor do they uphold or advertise themselves as religious, or even in some cases, Christian entities. The listening public should refrain from exacting higher standards for other human beings, and remember that our glorious Christ is the standard. It takes all that we have to concentrate on our own lives. It would be wise to take the unadulterated Word of God and believe in its truth-- whether it is sung or preached--and pray diligently for those who share it. My Daddy used to say, "Take the word and let the goat go". I always had an image in my head of a goat walking up and saying "Jesus saves!” As stunned as I would be by a talking Christian goat, I would still have to eventually come out of shock and say, "Amen".
Awards given in recognition of true musical excellence; that honor those who have been blessed with melodious voices and impeccable skill on instruments are fine and dandy What, however, are the criteria for receiving awards? What are the criteria for giving one back? Let's say an individual does feel compelled to return an award given for excellence in musical performance. Who makes up the perfect body of people that will take it from them? Shall we now examine the moral integrity of the individuals who make up the body into whose hands the awards were returned? I think not. The goal, I sincerely believe, is not to deceive the listening public or consider them suckers in some musical get-rich-quick scheme. I believe the aim is to live the lives about which one sings, but thank God for Jesus. Thank God for having the love and foresight to graciously recognize that his creation wouldn't always measure up, no matter how hard we all try. Three scriptures came to mind:
"Be sure your sins will find you out Numbers 3:23
"If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you 1 John 1:9
"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?" Romans 2:1-3
They apply to ALL of us whether we sing, preach, teach or work at the Waffle House. Music industry conglomerates and awards organizations are not judges of moral character, nor do they uphold or advertise themselves as religious, or even in some cases, Christian entities. The listening public should refrain from exacting higher standards for other human beings, and remember that our glorious Christ is the standard. It takes all that we have to concentrate on our own lives. It would be wise to take the unadulterated Word of God and believe in its truth-- whether it is sung or preached--and pray diligently for those who share it. My Daddy used to say, "Take the word and let the goat go". I always had an image in my head of a goat walking up and saying "Jesus saves!” As stunned as I would be by a talking Christian goat, I would still have to eventually come out of shock and say, "Amen".
No comments:
Post a Comment