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Denial

So, I'll confess to a guilty pleasure of mine - the American Idol auditions. Idol's early seasons contained priceless footage of people - sincere, well-meaning people - auditioning for a spot on the show. Tragically, what made their auditions so entertaining was their lack of singing ability. Some were so bad that they were able to ride that badness to greatness and enjoy their 15 minutes of fame. The past several seasons have been frustrating to me because the auditions seem less and less sincere. Now I feel as if I am watching people who are only trying to get on TV. But it is still fascinating to watch and wonder if these people really believe they can sing. Some seem genuinely shocked when they are told by the judges that they have no talent.

Here's something else that struck me last night as I watched the auditions - these people believe that American Idol is still their best and only shot at fulfilling the deepest longing of their hearts and making all their dreams come true. You can see it in the way they celebrate when they are given a spot on the show. One young woman wept bitter tears when she received her "golden ticket" to Hollywood, as if she had been fighting for her life and had just won the battle. What will happen to her if she doesn't win? Better yet, what will happen if she does? You would think that she would realize just how unsuccessful past winners truly are once the show is over. True, Carrie Underwood and Kelley Clarkson have sustained tremendous success so far, but who else? The others have tasted modest success, at best, and some have failed completely.

Hollywood has always held out fairytale promises to the gullible and the desperate, and always will, I suppose. I recall the voice of the man walking on the street at the end of the movie "Pretty Woman" shouting out, "This is Hollywood! What's your dream?!" Heath Ledger's death was shocking to me. I know who he is because he portrays The Joker in the upcoming Batman movie, and I have always loved Batman and The Joker is my favorite villain. We'll hear more today, but this successful Hollywood actor -famous, handsome, talented and respected - is now dead due to a probable drug overdose, possibly a suicide. Was all this his dream? Was this what called him out of Australia?

Within everyone of us there are dreams, desires, and longings that compel us forward to seek fulfillment. We long to find out who and what we really are, why we were placed on planet Earth, and what will make the desires of our heart's come true. There are many paths to go down in our search for significance, but only one path leads to life. Jesus said, "I am the way..."

"I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." Psalm 119:32

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