Justin Bieber’s arrest this last Thursday for drunk driving in his amborghini received more headlines than the five incidents of school shootings, lock downs, and gun scares in a single week of school, the black widows of the Olympics, or the bombings in Cairo. Go figure. Justin, 19 years old, joins other stars and athletes like Lidsay Lohman, Miley Cyrus and A-Rod whose lifestyle choices have become public fodder for jokes and media frenzy.
Most of us think that this kind of ridiculous behavior only happens to rock stars and pro athletes. We might assume that it could never happen to us because after all we’re not like them.
There are some things we can learn Bieber and A-Rod.
We think that it won’t happen to us.
King David and his son Solomon, Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar (how would you like to eat grass like a wild animal?), infamous well know politicians and pro athletes all had something in common. They thought it won’t happen to them. I am exempt. I’m the king. I’m the leader. I’m famous. I have influence.
One of the biggest temptations in life is to think that our lives won’t be on display, that it won’t happen to us. Hey, I’m the exception. I’m experienced. I know my limits. Trust me I know what I’m doing.
Most of us have fudged on some things, even dangerous things that we think don’t apply to us like speeding and texting while driving and well, you can fill in the blank. We have expectations of others, but don’t follow them ourselves. Why?
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 28:10
Yet, we can be content in following the rules even though they might seem small to us.
We think that instant gratification, materialism and popularity will satisfy our thirst.
A-Rod’s is suing Major League Baseball for suspending him for all of the 2014 season refuting their evidence of his use of banned PEDS while a New York Yankee. Two weeks ago millions watched the interview with his alleged drug supplier on CBS’s Sixty Minutes. The lengthy lawsuit will cost A-Rod and MLB millions.
Earlier Alex Rodriquez publicly admitted and apologized for taking PEDs as a Texas Ranger to give him a competitive edge and after all everybody else was doing it too. With all the scrutiny and risks why did he do it? Other athletes did and it brought them success. It could help him break records to gain more popularity and fame. He would be remembered for even more accomplishments than he already has, a virtual lock on the Hall of Fame.
We think that those that disagree with us are wrong.
We all have blind spots that others inevitably point out to us. Do we listen or do we defend ourselves? Sometimes people who push back on us are right and other times they’re wrong. Did A-Rod, Justin Beiber or Ted Haggard have people in their lives that pushed back before their fall? Do you?
If the people you hang out with always agree with you, it’s not helpful to you or the people you care about. It’s true your critics aren’t always right, but among them are valuable truths to help us from shipwreck. Listen to reasonable criticism, it just might save you from embarrassment in the future and you’ll be grateful that you did.
