“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

— Colossians 1:17

CNN told a story about Kevin Bacon back in July that made me chuckle. The famous actor informed Vanity Fair during an interview that he was curious about “how the other half lived.” So, Bacon continued, “I went to a special effects makeup artist, had consultations, and asked him to make me a prosthetic disguise.” Then, Kevin Bacon hit the streets of Los Angeles as an average Joe.

Guess what? Bacon found that “People were kind of pushing past me, not being nice.” Kevin continued, “Nobody said, ‘I love you.’ I had to wait in line to, I don’t know, buy a [*@#*%] cup of coffee or whatever.” Then Bacon summarized his little experiment. “I was like, This sucks. I want to go back to being famous.” I laughed to myself, thinking, “It took you a disguise by a professional makeup artist, and a day’s walk in LA to figure out being average isn’t as much fun as being famous?”

Being Kevin Bacon must be fun. Although he lost much of his wealth in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme, he and his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, have continued to make movies and make more money. Yet, I question whether being famous is the be-all, end-all either. I’d rather have my privacy and sit in a coffee shop reading my Kindle than be mobbed by crazed fans, trying to get selfies. I’d hate to see my picture in a tabloid taking my garbage bins to the curb in my pajamas.

I find it ironic that a celebrity icon would go to such lengths to remember what average felt like. The grass is always greener. In our world, there is no perfect life, no perfect occupation, and no perfect amount of money in the bank. If this is all life is, then we will live and die wanting something more, something just beyond our grasp. Faith in God provides something more. Meaning in this life and the promise of fulfillment in the next are only possible when God is embraced and lived with all our hearts. Ponzi Schemes are a reminder that wealth is not secured. Celebrity is fickle. Only our Triune God is unending, and whose meaning remains gratifying. Change, both positive and negative, is inevitable, but when you place your trust in the unchanging God, a valued life is secure, now and for all eternity.

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