Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. - John 14:27 (NKJV)
She was only 48 years young. America's diva, Whitney Houston left us this past week, leaving behind a life and legacy of giftings most of us could never fathom and pain none of us would ever want. Amidst the silliness of non-news stories such as whether New Jersey flags should fly at half staff, there are so many lessons here for us to learn and apply if her tragic death is to mean anything beyond an occasional song to remind us.
And songs and memories we will have. Houston burst onto the pop music scene in the 1980s and her star seemed limitless. At the top of the charts and even starring in major motion pictures, Houston appeared to be one of the special ones that could stick around forever. Such are the lies this world sells to us. Lies of fame and fortune. Lies that money and prestige can bring happiness"or even any semblance of peace. Houston would admit decades later that she was using cocaine every day in the 1990s. Her troubled marriage is the stuff that tabloids were made for. She tried and failed at rehabilitation three times, never seeming to be able to defeat the demons she suffered from. By the time she attempted a comeback there was little left of her voice from the drug use. Then this week, she finally lost the battle amidst claims of prescription medication abuse.
I cannot speak for where Whitney Houston is. None of us can. If she had a relationship with Jesus Christ then she is free from her suffering and He has wiped every tear from her eyes. She was raised Christian and grew up singing Gospel so we can hope. But what we do need to speak to is not how she died but rather how she lived. Because how she lived is how so many of us live today. Tortured and suffering. Struggling and battling demons. Demons of addiction and drug abuse. Demons of depleted self-worth and spousal abuse. I know that it is not Christian-politically correct these days to speak about the demonic nature of the battles we face. It doesn't pay the bills. It doesn't keep people in the pews. We would rather speak in worldly terms such as mental illness and drug addiction. It makes us feel better about it. It puts a nice bow on the situation so we can move along and move on. It whitewashes the tomb. But I grow weary of watching people die before their time. It was not God's will for Whitney Houston to die in her bathtub at 48. He will use it as He uses everything for His glory but my Bible says:
For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. -- Jeremiah 29: 11 (NLT)
Not plans for cocaine use and to be beaten. Not plans to live a life of torment and torture, wrapped in the appearance of "having it all." Not plans to live without any peace. And that is what we are dealing with here. It is the elusive thing that so many of us chase still, inside the church and out. Peace. The dictionary defines peace as:
Cessation of or freedom from any strife or dissension
And isn't that just how we tend to define it as well? Seeking to have no strife or dissension in our lives. Isn't that the peace the world tries to sell us? The entire cruise industry is based on selling peace in little seven day installments! But it is all fleeting beloved. The peace the world sells is nothing more than another lie. We all tend to fall into the trap of thinking if we could just have enough money, we would have peace. Whitney Houston didn't have a money problem. Or maybe we can start to think that of we could just be successful at our chosen occupation; then we can have peace. Whitney Houston was the best at what she did and recognized as such worldwide -- she didn't have a success problem. Whitney had the same problem so many of us have. She had a peace problem.
The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. Jehovah Shalom -- The Lord is Our Peace. But the translation from the original language is poor. It means so much more than the worldly, contemporary meaning of peace. Shalom was meant to convey wholeness and completeness. Meditate on that for a moment. At the essence of what we seek when we truly think about the word peace, isn't that more to the point? Because the problem with the worldly version of peace is that it is conditional. I will have peace when I am on vacation. I will be at peace when I get promoted. I will enjoy peace when my ministry flourishes. What is the problem with this conditional peace? When the condition disappears or never materializes, the peace leaves. When the vacation ends - so goes the peace. When the company downsizes - so goes the peace. When the ministry fails to grow -- so goes the peace. Perhaps Whitney Houston thought at one point of she could just get a record deal she would be at peace. Perhaps then it became needing a number one hit or a Grammy. Perhaps then it was related to her marriage. Whatever it was, it was elusive and when the enemy came knocking on the door of her unrest, he found a willing ear.
