Paradigm Shift

par-a-digm: n. A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline. (American Heritage Dictionary)

Today marks the third week I have spent in the beautiful state of California. To simply recap my time here would be a verbose waste of the English language. Put simply, it is a complete paradigm shift even from my semi-big city Seattle upbringing. California proclaims itself as a republic, evidenced on the state flag. I was introduced to this reality the minute I disembarked.

While waiting in queue to board the aircraft, I overheard two gentlemen conversing about LA, where they were going, what they had to do when they arrived, etc. and I deduced from this conversation that the two men were well-acquainted with the region. Upon arrival in LA, our paths crossed while waiting for our luggage. Being the communicative person I am, I seized upon this opportunity to make their acquaintance. It just so happened that I met some senior executives from CelebTV.

I thought to myself, "Of course, they are from the entertainment industry."

That was lesson 101 in California; as I was told, seemingly everyone is connected in some way to the entertainment industry. This was the beginning of that paradigm shift, from the laid-back midwestern life where everybody knows everybody and nobody cares about who you are, to a locale where it's all about who you know that matters.

Oddly enough, I despise this perspective in a way. Our culture worships the self-glorification and vanity of Hollywood, a belief that runs counter to the word of God.

One of the Ten Commandments reads, "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3 NASB). Sounds like Hollywood violates this one. Not that this is surprising, given the current state of our country that puts quarterbacks behind bars for torturing and murdering dogs, yet insists that it is a mother's “choice” to determine her unborn baby’s future.

I find a certain joy in the fact that I could probably walk right by a celebrity and not know who he or she is. I just don't care. Now, this is where it gets a little fuzzy.

See, the whole point is, my paradigm is shifting. When I have the chance to meet someone famous, I jump at the chance. Then, in hindsight, I evaluate my reaction and realize how I too am so easily caught up this cultural love affair.

Celebrities make us feel important. We go home to our buddies and say, "Look who I took a picture with," or "look whose autograph I got," and quickly lose sight of the bigger picture. Careers mean nothing in the afterlife, but as finite humans, we place a certain value on status and the popularity it brings. It somehow makes us feel that we are less inadequate in our daily existences and our mediocrity.

Yet it is in this mundane existence to which some have been called. Not all of us are called to have high profile lives, but there are God-followers out there who have mistakenly quoted the book of Man, the 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt prosper monetarily and be successful in the world."

It's as if some of us expect God to bless us...monetarily.

Of course God blesses us, but not in the ways we expect or desire. He knows what is best and by faith we have to trust that He blesses those financially whom He desires to be wealthy, allowing them the option of where it will be used. He gives to others little, realizing that they too have a choice to be proactive with what little they have or be bitter and wallow in self pity.

As I walk around the Santa Monica area and get confronted with questions about who I've met and where I've been, I keep finding myself asking the question of why I care so much? It is amazing how quickly I forget the paradigm change that is occurring within.

Now, it is not a sin to tell someone about what I have been able to do or who I have met, but when that storytelling turns into bragging, it opens the door wide to pride. When my motive in telling the story is to make me feel better or look better, those are selfish motives, but when they fall within the boundaries of storytelling, it is innocuous and often a great conversation starter as to the nature of Hollywood and the dirt about which many do not know.

I have always wondered why people have such an obsession with celebrities until now. I realize now that I too can be caught up in it at times, and I can only imagine how much worse are those who suffer through life without knowing Christ's love, an eternal love that outshines and outlasts this paltry life. In my heart there is a burden for everyone to know Christ, and I pray that in all I do, each day, I will glorify the Creator of the universe in my lifestyle--no matter if I run into a celebrity or just a bum on the street begging for money. I may be the only light these people see outside tinseltown, and that is a blown opportunity that I do not want on my conscience. Here's to more of this paradigm shift, and a daily walk closer with God.