I was browsing the news the other day and noticed that Justin Bieber had been arrested for drink driving. My first thought was, 'what an idiot', and sure enough I went on Facebook to see that a lot of people agreed with that.
Straight after that judgement it caused me to think about the world we live in and how there is so much that is trying to trip us up and so many things out there to damage us all and especially the young people in the world. The boundaries between what is sinful and what is not seem to be slipping and blurring and for all of us that is a huge danger.
Justin Bieber has gone from being a 'normal' person to being thrust in to the lime light, having a load of money, masses of adoring fans and unfortunately it seems that he is responding in a way that at the moment does not look great. However, it's almost like the media and the world think that he does not have the right to make mistakes, that because he has all those things that I mentioned above he should be perfect.
People immediately jump to blaming him and, whilst he has to take responsibility for his own actions, I can't help feeling that the world is not doing much to set him an example. Whilst he is an example (not always a good one) to lots of young people, he has grown up in a world where there is a lot of hurt and brokenness and it's hard for young people to understand what is right and how to escape what is wrong.
We can spend all our time blaming celebrities and politicians for all that is wrong with our country and all that is messed up in the world or we can try and make a difference.
In Matthew, Jesus talks about us being light in the world and how that means not only do we have to be different from others but we have to set an example..
Matthew 5:14-16 says:
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (NIV)
We are not here to just live and be happy that we are doing good. We are placed on this earth to shine and light up the world with the goodness of Jesus.
That means that we should be setting the example to young people - showing the fruits of the Spirit in our lives is hugely important: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
It's not an easy task but it is one that we are called to. If we live these out in our day to day life then we are going to make a difference. People are going to see that there is something that sets us apart from those that live in the world. Jesus will permeate every area of our lives if we let him and that is hugely important.
Let's stop blaming other people and change the world through our own actions. It's not always about doing massive things, we can make an impact through caring for the people around us and not being afraid to let Jesus fully impact our lives and theirs.
This is something that I am really battling with at the moment. I want to be a youth worker that makes a difference to the people that I work with. If I go through each of the 9 fruits of the spirit I struggle with them all in one way or another but I want to grow and seek ways of bettering myself with them all.
I can't expect the young people I work with to grow in their faith and relationship with God if I am not modelling it myself. This is where I feel for Justin Bieber, there is so much expectation on him and pressure about how to behave, but realistically how many people model this in a positive way to him? How many people support him instead of just having a go at him?
As Christians we are called to love people no matter what (1 Peter 4:8) and this means loving those who mess up, because no one is perfect.
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