Wasted Talent: Reflections on a Recent Death

This week a very well known celebrity, Whitney Houston, died. Presumably the cause was a lethal mixture of alcohol and drugs. Her death produced a lot of public response because she possessed enormous musical singing talent. One could legitimately say she had one of the most talented voices in this generation; I remember listening to her albums as a young adult and many of her songs elicited quite an emotional response from the listener. My favorite might possibly be, "I Will Always Love You" from "The Bodyguard."; chokes me up every time. Whitney first learned how to sing in church. Her mother, Cissy Houston is an accomplished gospel music talent. To many observers there is irony in the fact that the night before Whitney died, she is recorded singing "Yes, Jesus loves me." on stage appearing quite intoxicated. Such a vocal talent, tragically wasted; a unique gift that was snuffed out by the slavery of addiction. it begs asking some questions. Somehow she grew up singing about Jesus, but yet her life ended the way it did. How did this happen?  I think this is why her death evokes something in us. It is supposed to.
I'm currently doing the Beth Moore bible study on the book of James called "Mercy Triumphs." The book of James is not for those interested in reading Bible-lite; it is not a book with those 'feel good' verses we love to claim. Rather, James plans to get in your business from the very first line. The basic premise of James is: To the extent you live it, is the extent you believe it. Yes, James believes in God's grace and the power of forgiveness of sin. However, James makes it perfectly clear that once God has shown you the available freedom in his word, if we don't live it out , it is because we don't believe it in our heart. When I really think about it, I have to admit he is right. James puts it like this:
"But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.  But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." James 1:22-25
In this passage James tells us it is possible to be a 'forgetful listener'. The example of Whitney Houston might be an extreme one, but the truth is we are all capable of this.  It is possible to look intently into the word of God, even be deeply moved by it (like hearing one of Whitney's songs), and yet walk away and never put it into application. It is possible to be a saved Christian but still live a life in bondage because we never believed what the word said applied to us nor that it had the power to change us. In my bible study Beth tells us the Greek word used for "look intently" in this passage actually means to bend down/stoop and peer intently into something.

 It reminded me of the scene from Lion King where Simba looks at his reflection in the pond. Rafiki tells Simba to look into his reflection and there he sees who he was really meant to be...a reflection of the king, his Father. (Mufasa). This is no different for you or I. When we look intently into God's word, God will show you....you. The you who you are now and the you that you are supposed to be...a reflection of the King of Kings, Jesus. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2Corinth 3:17-18
Every person was placed here by God for a reason. Each of us has a gift/talent that is meant to be expressed. Whitney's gift was singing capable of evoking/expressing emotion. What is yours? What is mine? One could argue her gift was meant for worship; the enemy certainly has a motive to snuff that out. The tragedy of her life, a gift wasted, is also one we should all learn from. Each of us is deposited with a gift; but that gift is meant to be expressed to show the glory of God. The bible calls this our "fruit". It is very clear. We are supposed to be known by our fruit, not our talents.  As humans, we are fallible. We make mistakes; we make bad choices. If God is the potter and we are the clay, we are some cracked pots for sure. But if God has placed his light in us, it's only through those cracks that the light is visible to others. Don't waste your gift because of your struggles. Look intently into God's word and let him change you from the inside out; this is where true freedom is found.
"Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we're proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.  If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us." 2Corin 4:6-8