When I was younger, I used to glance at the front pages of the celebrities on the gossip newspapers like the National Enquirer while waiting to pay for groceries. The drama was always big and much of it false, but, curiosity kept my eye glued to the cover. Now, I see them and all I feel is sad. Fame and fortune leaves many of the celebrities broken and sad.
If you grew up in the country or small town, you have likely been teased for it. Not the good type of teasing that I enjoyed from my friends who lived in the city and the burbs (I enjoyed it all and especially bringing you to one lane roads with no yellow lines that made you panic.). It was the arrogant superiority that really looked down on those who live more simply.
Dad always called it "the accident of birth" when he referred to where you lived, the color of your skin, the color of your eyes or hair, or who your parents happen to be. He was a Gideon and believed in getting Bibles into the hands of those who might not know the gospel near and far away. Jail was his favorite place to take Bibles. We used to joke that it was a captive audience. He carried the truth. Some found freedom behind bars. It fueled his soul.
As far as I can tell, extreme wealth, fame, and fortune more often than not, suck the goodness from life as there seems to be an addiction that comes with chasing more. More money, more fame, and more power. Some... often at the birth of children or a crisis moment, step away from the limelight and look for a quiet, often rural, existence. They seek the simple and the true.
Happiness chased is fleeting; deep, frequent gratitude sparks joy daily. In seeking Jesus we find truth; the truth sets us free from the shame, the blame, and the broken. Gratitude is the key.
"and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” -John 8:32
The bars are left behind and the chains are broken. Unlocked by truth, grace, gratitude, and the cancelled sin debt paid by a guy who spent his first night on earth in a manger.
Today, I am grateful for the right key.
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