I don’t know why I felt so sad hearing about the loss of Matthew Perry. I don’t know him from Adam. I have no connections or ties to him and I was never really into the show Friends. But I knew who he was. And I knew about him.
Whether you watch television or not, sometimes these Hollywood personas make their way into your homes and you just know of them. They become like acquaintances never to be met.
You can’t help but see the tabloids while waiting in the checkout line. They scream at you for attention. You get a small sliver of someone’s life and that sliver gets chopped and diced in a way that reflects a shadow of truth.
I knew of him and of his struggles and battles in life. He’s was like so many. Only difference, he lived among the Hollywood elite. He never did live on skid row, or under an awning of a store front. But he suffered. He suffered real and hard and this went on for years on end.
A broken life comes in all sizes, shapes, stature and status. And nobody is immune from it. They’re just people, these Hollywood folk. Like everyone, they are searching for answers and purpose, healing and hope.
While we sit on the sidelines or in the theaters with admiration and envy, thinking “if only” they sit in their mansions or by their poolsides sipping margaritas and thinking, “if only.” They are more like us than we realize.
The difference is often that they’ve experienced fame, fortune, success, and love. And yet, they are empty and lost, addicted and hopeless. They too often become shells. It’s a shame.
And the list is long. The sad endings of those who tasted the coveted life of the elite. It didn’t quite satisfy the way they had thought. They weren’t as fulfilled as they had hoped. But maybe, just for a moment.
Death will eventually come for us all. We often begin our days like every other. The end isn’t even a flickering thought. And it still won’t be on that day. But it will arrive. Our story will come to an end. And we will be a fading memory of others.
Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” And he’s right. It’s not the answer. And it’s not the way. The pursuit of anything other than Jesus Christ leaves a temporary satisfaction that fades far too quickly. And once again, there is hollowness.
The thing I learned about Matthew Perry is that in his most desperate, lonely, and broken place he found Jesus. A million dollars per episode on a prime time hit show couldn’t satisfy. Any woman, relationship or friend couldn’t fill the void deep within. The houses, cars, possessions only left a greater chasm of pain. In the midst of it all, when he was at his lowest, he cried out to the only one who could save him. Jesus Christ.
His death is shocking. Even for this anti TV girl. It seems untimely, and so sad. But from everything I’ve read, I’m thinking he’s home. I’m believing he’s experiencing living like never before.
Only Jesus. He’s the only way. He’s the only answer. Stop losing days and weeks of life holding on to the fleeting. Put your hope in him. The return is never void.
People truly need the Lord.
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