Every time I see another season of American Idol, I'm reminded of some important nuggets of truth. I suppose in that way, it's not all bad, despite who the judges are.
Here are some concepts that stand out to me- as I watch AI- that actually reflect real life:
It's not bad to have big dreams. Dreams motivate us to work harder, smarter and reach for something bigger. But do our dreams line up with God's ultimate dream for us? Or are they based on what we want people to think of us? Or that we want attention, fame or riches? Big dreams can be good...or even evil...depending on our motivations.
Being honest with ourselves is a gift. So often we watch AI and wonder who in the world told some of these people they could sing! Maybe they were a bad judge of talent, or maybe they're just too scared to tell the truth. Either way, we give ourselves a gift when we are truly honest within ourselves about our gifts/talents and where we are in the growth process of using them.
No one ever "arrives." No matter how long we've done something, excelled at a certain skill or even have others call us an "guru", we do well to recognize that there is always more learning to do- then actually pursue it. It's possible (and highly attractive) to be a actively humble, continually growing "expert."
Our human nature wants to be a Diva. We all naturally want to be loved, appreciated and needed. But deep down our more base human nature wouldn't mind being a spoiled diva. The problem with divas is that they don't typically ooze the finer fruits- such as gentleness, humility and selflessness... to name a few.
When someone says "no", do we throw a royal fit or accept it gracefully? Or better yet, when God says "no", what do we do? Do we seek to understand or fight tooth and nail for the "yes?" Do we automatically throw ourselves into the negative because we didn't get our way, or pursue the positive in the situation?
Time and energy is wasted trying to be someone else. One of the best gifts we can give ourselves is permission to just be who we are. We find freedom when we stop striving to be someone we're not, and truly embrace who we are created to be. There is only one you. Life's too short to sing like someone else, talk like someone else, act like someone else or copy whatever someone else is doing. No amount of fame, attention or money is worth being someone else.
Just like the long lines to audition for AI, sometimes we wait and wait, only to discover an outcome we didn't desire. This is life- and life doesn't always give us what we expect. Patience doesn't necessarily dictate the outcome. Sometimes we try and do the best we can only to have life deliver something different, maybe even painful. It's at these times that our foundations- either firm or shaky- show our character and can determine our future.
So I guess watching AI isn't a total waste of time after all!