Live for the Applause

I was listening to this fairly new song by Lady Gaga recently. Yeah, yeah. Give me a hard time if you want to. This girl can sing though, that is for sure. And the lyrics to this song are real and interesting.

I live for the applause...
...(I) Live for the way that you cheer and scream for me
The applause, applause, applause

These lyrics are interesting to me because Lady Gaga is talking about something many of us do every day. In some way, shape, or form, many of us do things with the strict intent of getting the applause of others. That applause may not be a literal standing up and clapping of hands. It may be a "good job!", some sort of reward, or a simple smile of approval from a loved one.

To get the applause, in the form we want it, we perform. This performance Lady Gaga mentions is in front of an audience, singing and dancing. For those of us with a much smaller "fan-base", we perform in different ways. Some of us may work hard to stand out at work, stress ourselves out at home trying to keep it looking like something everyone will be pleased with, or put on a fake smile because people seem to like that. Others of us work out excessively, dress to impress, or purchase other items that stand out.

King Saul really struggled with this as well. Several times, he made decisions based on what people were doing or what they would think of him. In 1 Samuel 13, he offered a sacrifice against the will of God, partly because others were "scattering from him". In 1 Samuel 18, Saul was jealous of David because the people in the kingdom were in awe of his achievements rather than Saul's. There are several other examples as I read through his life of a detrimental focus on getting the applause, or acceptance, of others.

To gain a deeper understanding of Saul's real problem, we have to look at his past...before he was king. When Samuel, a prophet sent by God to anoint Saul as king, began a conversation with Saul about his being chosen to be king, Saul's response was, "Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?” Saul's view of himself is seen clearly here. He sees his identity as being one of the lowest in all of Israel. Despite being a tall, handsome man, he sees himself as inadequate. Later, when he is to be announced as king in front of everyone, he hides himself, out of this same belief that he is not good enough.

I think we can apply this same cycle to ourselves when we catch ourselves consumed with wanting the applause of others. When we obsess over getting the approval of others, deep down, somehow, we, like King Saul, are being driven by a lowly identity that yearns for proof that we are better than we think we are. We view ourselves as not quite good enough, not smart enough, not "put-together" enough, not talented enough, not pretty or handsome enough, or lacking some other important characteristic or trait that disqualifies us. Regardless of what particular self-view haunts us, many of us turn to others' opinions as the antidote.

While King Saul never appeared to move past his negative self-view, we can learn from his experience. God saw something in Saul that he didn't see in himself. God called him to be king. However, Saul held fast to his fleshly identity, not accepting the new identity God was offering. King Saul turned to people, trying to feel better about himself by pleasing them and getting their approval. It never worked. And it won't work for us either. We must turn to our Heavenly Father to know who we truly are, and He is pleased with us when we trust Him.

Nothing in this world can solve our self-image problem. In Christ, there is new life, and with that, a new identity. In Christ, when God gazes at any one of us, he sees perfection. He sees someone He loves unconditionally, who He fully accepts, who is safe and secure in His hands, and who is deeply significant...with a unique purpose. In Him, there is no need for people's applause to know we are all of those things and more.

The Perfect Husband

While listening to a song this week by Derek Webb, I was struck by a powerful truth that has put me in a state of thought all week. In the song, "Wedding Dress", these lyrics, that I have heard many times before, resonated with new meaning:

Because money cannot buy
A husband's jealous eye
When you have knowingly deceived his wife

Although we rarely think of Him in this way, Jesus is the perfect husband (or groom). In Scripture, He is described as the Groom, and His Church (His followers/believers/Christians) is referred to as His bride. Nothing deters Him from loving, protecting, and advocating for Her, among other things. When sin was in the way, He paid the ultimate price to get it out of the way...to secure the relationship He wanted with her (His bride...us!).

As a man, I am not perfect. I fail...a lot. In the Garden of Eden, Adam did not fight for and protect Eve when she was being tempted, and, I think we all (men) can relate to that kind of failure. If not, we need to get real with ourselves! However, where we all have failed, Jesus has come through for his bride in every way. Where Adam did not "stand in the gap" for Eve, Jesus does so for us constantly. We are tempted often. However, unlike Adam in that moment of passivity, Jesus is there fighting for us. His Truth is being spoken to us as we need it. He loves us, and He can be very kind and gentle. But He can also be ferocious in fighting for who He loves (see the book of Revelation). He takes His relationship with us seriously, even when we fail to do so.

As a man who is quite aware of my imperfections as a husband, father, son, brother, friend, co-worker, etc., my only hope in being the man God created me to be in those relationships is to trust the One who never fails us. Adam's problem on that fateful day in the garden was not that he did not push himself hard enough to "step up and be a man", it was that he had lost sight of the truths about His Father (God) that would have overpowered any fears he may have had...which inevitably led to him remaining silent while his wife was being deceived.

And although I realize I must tread carefully in addressing ladies when it comes to this truth about Christ (because I am obviously not a lady), I do not think it is out of bounds for me to state that trusting in any man to give you what only Christ can give you is going to lead to disappointment. Men are in a position that can ultimately reflect the image of the Perfect Husband, and, when we are walking in truth, we often are the conduit by which the Lord meets many of your needs. However, we are not, and can never be, the ultimate source of what you need.