We’re taking it to the tabloids again to attempt to find healing from hurt! This week one of the hurts is quite literal: a nose piercing. And the punctured pop star? Well, it’s Lady Gaga as you can read here. No surprise I know, and although I certainly hope her hurt heals soon, it’s a different hurt in this article I really want to chat about.
Little Monsters. For some it’s bewildering why so many people would follow a Mama Monster celebrity, so much so that her every nuance and nose-ring is of paramount importance to them. Maybe it’s because of my work with teens over the years, but this devotion actually makes sense to me. None can deny that these thousands of hurt or ostracized people longed for someone to look up to who didn’t expect them to look or act any certain way before taking notice of them and reaching out to them, which is what their Mama Monster did. Whatever you think of Lady Gaga, she starts to meet a need they had, so they follow her pierced persona.
What I find so beautifully healing about this article is that there is another pierced person who has reached out to any and all who have been labeled or label themselves as monsters. Unlike Lady Gaga, this person can both start and finish meeting our need to be valued and loved, he offers complete and eternal healing instead of only temporary tweets and short-lived shenanigans, he will be with you even after every star has faded into obscurity, and he was pierced fatally—not fickly—for you. For those who hurt, mourn, or despair, Jesus is the healer with the best kind of piercing. To enjoy learning exactly how and why his wounds could so completely heal yours, check out Healing Hereafter.
Can you find hope or healing in this bit of otherwise mundane media? As always, in a few days I’ll be advertising a blog, website, cause, or quote of whoever submits the most humorous or creative comment, so leave a way for me to contact you if necessary!
And my pick for last week’s Your Opinion Please?…Katie Pruss! Several great comments on that post (thanks everyone!), but Katie’s highlighted a few oft ignored aspects of the biblical afterlife that are very helpful in answering some of its most difficult questions. When asked what she would like to share with you all—aside from her efforts to eliminate human trafficking—she offered a quote from Mother Teresa: “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” I have known Katie to follow God’s example to love until it hurts herself; thank-you for sharing this quality!
