After the VMA awards there has been widespread talk on one thing and one thing only: Miley Cyrus. Why does Miley need Jesus? Because Miley has transformed before our very eyes from a sweet innocent actress on Disney channel who had the world in her hands to a twenty year old who isn’t afraid to strip in front of millions of people, sing songs about drugs, and see any and all forms of attention. Miley from the outside looking in is as lost as you can be and so the words from the crowd begin to chirp in: Miley needs Jesus. Miley needs help. Miley is out of control. Miley is a disgrace. Miley’s dad is ashamed of her. With an onslaught of verbal jokes degrading her as a person, disrespecting her, and making jokes about her body. We are certain on one thing: Miley Cyrus desperately needs Jesus in her life.
While we are bold in our declaration that Miley need Jesus, we fail to realize that we ourselves desperately need Jesus in the exact same way. It would appear obvious to us that Miley is rebelling and way out of control; however, it’s not so obvious the extent of our own sin in our lives. Our own rebellion is masked by our ignorance. We were brought into this world rebelling against God making it very clear to us that we all need Jesus. Even after we come to know Christ though, we never truly cease our dependency on the Lord. Miley may be rebelling on stage in front of millions, but she realizes that it doesn’t matter to her because only God’s judgment truly matters.
“To my home girls here with the big butt
Shaking it like we at a strip club
Remember only God can judge ya
Forget the haters ’cause somebody loves ya
And everyone in line in the bathroom
Trying to get a line in the bathroom
We all so turned up here
Getting turned up, yeah, yeah”
Miley isn’t a fool and we have more in common with her than most of us would care to admit. In the midst of a verse about dancing like a stripper, she mentions God’s judgment and how it doesn’t matter what others think, then straight to a lyric about doing coke in a bathroom. It’s heart breaking because she realizes God’s what matters, but fails to realize the implications of that. We have grace extended to us and are free to accept it, but does that grace truly change our lives? Are we truly reborn as one in Christ?
This in truth isn’t about Miley at all. Miley is merely a symbol for a greater picture. We need Jesus. I couldn’t count the amount of times I see someone waiting all week to get plastered drunk, make ill decisions, to stumble into church the next morning. When that person declares Miley needs Jesus, I think there is a problem. We as a society are quick to look down on others and fail to see that we are one. As individualized we are as a society it’s equally important to remember how similar we are. Our sin is rebellion from God no matter what it is: whether it’s twerking at the VMAs, getting drunk on the weekends, talking about those around us in negative context, porn, or wanting something that doesn’t belong to us. Sin is sin. Her rebellion and our rebellion are the same and we both need Jesus equally. Jesus wants us both equally as well, His love is eternal, undeserved, and never failing. In the same way that Jesus dishes us unconditional love every day I can assure you that her parents do as well. There is nothing that my son or daughter could do that would make me love them less. Even in the midst of chaos, I believe Billy Ray is loving her and trying to guide her as best as he can, as any parent would. When someone lets us down or goes against our advice we don’t fully abandon them, we offer our hand. That’s the beauty of grace, it’s always there for us.
I also find a problem when the people who proclaim to follow Christ are ones whose hearts don’t break for Miley. If we as a society and as Christians degrade and bash on her what does that say about us? How does that reflect who we are as people and how does that make us any better than her? We aren’t better. We are equal.
This concept I feel is crucial to grab hold of and understand because at no point do we ever cease to need Jesus in our lives. In reality as we mature with Him we realize just how much we truly do need Him every day of our lives. Miley isn’t the first celebrity to walk down this road and I promise she won’t be the last. They stand to show us what we really look like though in all our rebellion and sin. Yet, they also stand to show us what can truly happen when Christ grabs a hold of your life and changes your heart. Our sin is the same, our Savior is the same, the question is will we accept true love at the cross or will we continue to seek the world?
gsehlers 