There Ought to be an Oscar for That

By Brenda Black

Am I the only one who couldn't care less about who wore what to the Oscars? According to one of the morning news program hosts last week, “everybody was anxiously awaiting” the red carpet parade of stars. I laughed out loud and sarcastically addressed the t.v., thwarting the reporter's sweeping, all-inclusive prophecy. “Not me!” I just don't believe some hoity toity Hollywood starlet's evening gown is anything for me to become anxious about. There are enough other worries in the world without fretting myself over their best and worst fashion choices. Neither do I think there is that much to applaud.

If you need something to stew about, there's the economy. While the glamourous glided down crimson carpet in high heels that likely costs $700, I cringed at spending $70 at the gas pump. World peace trumps whether the star attractions selected pastel hues or showboat reds. We have men and women in harm's way all over the globe wearing varying shades of camo. I'm certain that the parents, spouses and children of those serving anxiously await their return home to a far greater extent than worry over full length gowns with slits to the hip. While the rich and famous hob knob, an innocent man half way around the world is being tortured for being a Christian in a muslim country. A teenage girl is sold into slavery through human trafficking and is forced to expose herself while Hollywood icons flaunt themselves shamelessly.

I realize there will always be horrors and hardship on this earth and entertainment is often a welcome form of escape from harsh realities. My point is that I don't believe we should invest so much energy and angst in such pettiness. Good grief, stop drooling over the entertainment elite or wasting your time watching reality (not) shows. Start living in the real world! Find solutions to the problems, pray for true change and celebrate the rich joys easily missed when you are glued to the boob tube.

I enjoy a good movie now and then, but I think there ought to be an Oscar for the real actors among us, not just the performers on the big screen. Give that grandma who's working at Walmart and trying to raise three grandchildren a hand. An Oscar ought to go to the couple juggling four jobs to pay off medical bills and a mortgage. Let's hear a round of applause for the teachers and postal carriers; cheers to the assembly line worker and the grocery store clerk. We need to celebrate each other! It certainly would make our real world brighter and give us something a little deeper to talk about than Halle or Angelina or Clooney.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

“These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.” (Titus 2:11-15)

Just try it – look for the stars among you and acknowledge them with the same awe typically reserved for the upper echelon. Be anxious to encourage those who bring real value to the real world. That beats agonizing over an evening gown any old day of the year.