Youth Culture Lesson: ‘I’ll Disappoint You’
Justin Bieber Mulls who to Follow…and Why
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What Happened
Like him or hate him, Justin Bieber has had an interesting career in the public eye. He began his journey to superstardom as a mop-haired teen. Then as the accolades grew and the fan adoration became ever-more adoring, he turned into a notorious bad boy, better known for landing in the tabloids than for his music.
Things have gotten better since then, but though Bieber seemingly has put his crazy teen years behind him—when he was swearing at the paparazzi, traveling with monkeys and arrested for egging a neighbor’s house—he warns his fans not to consider him a role model.
“I would really suggest to people: Don’t put your faith in me, because I’m going to disappoint you every time,” he told London’s Mirror.
“I’m not perfect,” he continues. “I’ve made so many mistakes. I just want to get to a place where…I just want people to know humans aren’t meant to be worshiped. We’re just not. So when a human is being worshiped, this is dangerous. ’Cause it does nothing but give you pride, and I feel as if the fans, they have to understand, you can love me…but it’s a finicky thing when you start putting your trust in me. I’ve seen certain people break down.”
Bieber’s humility goes hand-in-hand with a seeming return to his Christian beliefs. He’s been talking about God a lot recently; and if you listen to his newest album, Purpose, it’s possible he’s singing about Him a lot, too. Consider the lyrics from “Mark My Words”:
Mark my words
Give you all I got
In every way I will
You’re the only reason why
I don’t wanna live a lie.
“I felt as if I lost my purpose,” he tells the Mirror, “but now I’ve found it, and I want to bring that hope to people, and say, ‘Hey, you might have lost your purpose, or maybe you’re searching for your purpose. Purpose is so important. I talk about stuff that I went through, and stuff that pulled me out.”
Talk About It
When Bieber says, “I’ll disappoint you,” he’s giving a pretty realistic picture of all of us. We all disappoint those we care about sometimes. We hurt our parents. We hurt our friends. We make mistakes. Can you think of a time when you’ve disappointed someone?
Did you, as has Bieber, hurt or embarrass anyone who looked up to you?
God knows how fallible we are—and how prone we can be to making mistakes. The great thing is He’s far more forgiving than the paparazzi can be. That’s what grace is all about: When we fall, He gives us another chance…and another…and another. We all can learn from that example. When have you needed a second chance? When have you been given one?
“I just want people to see there is hope, and the best is yet ahead of you,” Bieber says. It seems as if he wants to tell his listeners a little bit about where his own hope comes from. Where does your hope come from? Are there people you know who could use a little of that hope? Do you think they could use an encouraging word or two from you? How can you point them to your own source of hope?
What the Bible Says
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).
“Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand” (Ps. 37:24).
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10).
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:6-7).
“For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what He says, He is a perfect man, able also to bridle His whole body” (James 3:2).