Shoul_Celebrities_Be_a_Role_Model

In the fifties and sixties, little boys and girls wanted to grow up to become nurses, teachers, firemen and astronauts... or maybe the President. Today, our children aspire to be the latest rock star or pro athlete. Never mind that these "idols" may be wacked out on drugs, have out-of-wedlock children with multiple partners and longer police records than some hardened criminals, and lack the ability to string together a coherent sentence. The media plasters their pictures on every magazine and newspaper known to man, and we talk about their every move on television 24/7 and talk about their latest shenanigans or indiscretion as easily as we discuss a recent movie, album, or victory. We have become a culture that entertwines success and sleaze. We have raised celebrities to an even higher pedestal, regardless of their behavior, and we have given them status they did not earn, nor do they deserve. And most celebrities of today are certainly NOT role models for our children! We have become a society ruled by the news media. We are bombarded with news, from the major networks and their local affiliates to the cable news channels to the "tabloid" news, such as Entertainment Tonight, Extra, E!, and more. And I won't even talk about the tabloids you can buy at anycheck-out stand and their idea of "news." The airwaves have been saturated with "news" of Paris Hilton and her incarceration, Lindsay Lohan and her trip to rehab, Tori Spelling's "ordination" as a minister. Remember Mel Gibson and his troubles' What about Michael Richards and Don Imus' Depending on your age, you may or may not have been old enough to pay any attention to the O.J. Simpson trial, but many of us were glued to our televisions, afraid to miss any gory details. And now, he has once again been front and center in the media... only this time, his outcome was not as rosy. "So what'" you may be asking. This is all harmless "entertainment" something to talk about with friends. It would seem that way, wouldn't it' But you never know who is listening and watching. And even talk about the mundane or sensational events of celebrities' lives is disheartening to God. Some will try to justify the talk... "Celebrities should expect to be talked about - it goes with the territory." What if young children hear this' They are not mature enough to filter it and understand what they are hearing. They may draw the wrong conclusions. They may have a hard time making the distinction between "celebrity gossip" and reality. And child or not, pretty soon we are all criticizing and discussing the person down the street right along with the celebrity we do not know. Proverbs 17:1-7 tells us "Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife. A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren. The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts. A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue. Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished. Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers. Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince. (Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States.) From time to time, we all see the rich and famous doing and saying things that we know are wrong. But it is easy for Satan to use this to weave these thoughts, words, and feelings into the fabric of OUR daily lives. Soon we are snubbing those less fortunate. We are calling people names or peppering our language with four-letter words (and wondering where on earth our kids heard them!), and we are accepting less than decent behavior as the "social norm." It's a slippery slope, isn't it'! We have to be careful about what we watch, read, hear and discuss. We have to be selective in our music, our friends, and what we do with our time, talents and money. Have you noticed how often gossip and lying are discussed in The Proverbs' We must stay on our toes to make sure that these are not a part of our daily living! Celebrities of today are not role models for our children. It is time to take the reins and redirect the focus toward those who truly ARE role models. Maybe we need to take a hard look at the media we bring into our homes - for ourselves AND our children - and make some gutsy, but necessary choices to "Just Say No" to the barrage of celebrity worship that has abounded in recent decades. The success or failure of our next generations may depend on it! It is a travesty that so many of today's so-called role models are just celebrities and little more. A role model is supposed to be someone you look up to and want to be like. Someone who's a real hero. How many of these movie stars and singers, not to mention sports stars, are really the type of people we want kids to look up to'