Hold on a second...don't misprint or misunderstand me. I am not declaring with this post that John Mayer has converted to evangelical Christianity; and he definitively is not going into the ministry. But I must admit, he gave an interview over the weekend that was very convicting for me personally. He wasn't trying to unleash a heated rant from a pulpit, he didn't use the bible, nor was he trying to convert anyone listening - - it was simply an open and honest discussion about the condition of his heart. It was one of those rare moments of raw honesty shared from a fellow struggler on this earth. It really caused me to look at my own heart, and it confronted a problem all of us wrestle with: "Ego Addiction." Here the interview if you want to watch it online: http://www.eonline.com/news/633352/john-mayer-talks-about-his-ex-girlfriend-taylor-swift If you don't know who John Mayer is, you probably haven't listened to any form of contemporary music for the last 10 years. He is a seven time Grammy award winner; and let's just say the man is a genius when it comes to playing the guitar. He is one of those rare artists that actually "feels" the music while he plays. Well, over the weekend he gave an interview on MSNBC concerning his past struggles, relationship fiascoes and the current choice to stay relatively hidden from the bright lights of Hollywood and the tabloid press. He has actually moved out to Montana so he could get back to focusing on music without interference from all the outside noise. He said he wanted to get back to his first love: writing songs. So, what caused him to get so off track? His need for approval. He freely admitted he was, and still is, an "Ego Addict." He said he got off course in his professional life when people started misunderstanding him. Being disrespected and disliked bothered him deeply. He wanted to be liked but he began to see that he was flawed; it was humbling to admit that not everything you did turns to gold. It became a struggle to get the positive press he so desperately desired. He let the opinions of people dictate his moods, the relationships he formed, and it even spoiled the music that he made. At one point he said something I found fascinating: he believes artists of today are now singing while at the same time judging themselves wondering how they are playing in the critics ear. Instead of just singing for the love of it, they are performing for success on twitter. And once people are done singing they instantly check social media to see if they did O.K. And what determines if something is O.K.? If it gets a lot of hits, likes and favorable comments in the heat of the current immediate news stream. He said he is tired of living under this pressure. As a pastor, it is hard to admit it, but I live this experience every Sunday. I feel like I am slave to the exact same tyranny of being liked...and I hate it! I want to be liked. I am afraid all of us are running in this rat race of popularity. Whether we post something on Facebook, send an Instagram pic, place a Pinterest post, we have to know if we are O.K. If people notice me positively, I'm doing great - - if people have stopped looking at what I post or don't like what I post, I'm depressed. I even struggle with this when I write blogs. Why do I write blogs? I want to simply offer a voice of reason in a world of deceit. I want to draw in people to consider the implications of having Jesus in your life. I want to try to present Christianity as reasonable and valid, warm-hearted, a message of kindness with a stiff back-bone. Like John Mayer - I want to create beauty and life. His interview was a good wake up call. I must remember not to let the opinions of critics and the desire to be liked stop me from creating. And neither should you!
2 Comments
Art
3/10/2015 12:51:35 am
Chris I think we all want to be liked. I hate when I hear that someone doesn't like what I said or what I did. It is in our nature to want relationships and to have friends. God designed us for that. I finally had to give in and play to an audience of one. Not for his favor or grace but just for his glory. With that being said the world around me doesn't always like that about me. Do I till feel bad when someone dislikes me? Yes.......... but I don't let it keep me down very long. If I did something wrong the Holy Spirit will kick me and let me know what I did. Sometimes that means an apology and sometimes it means humble pie! Yuck I hate that.
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Chris
3/10/2015 09:03:33 pm
thank you Holy Spirit for kicking me!
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