Beyonce Makes HOW MUCH???
Have you heard on the news that the singer Beyonce just signed a big dollar contract with a soft drink company for advertising? They were really going on about how much money she was being paid, and then it spun off into other celebrities and their salaries. Which kind of left me thinking, and thinking a bit with my cynical side, if you will. It strikes me as terribly sad that some of the highest paid people in our country are people who sing songs, play games, or pretend to be something they are not. Now, for those who would point out all the people in those fields who are NOT making big dollars, I know that is true. But that doesn’t change the fact that Beyonce is going to be making those big bucks, or the big name movies stars make obscene dollars for what they do. Not because I think they don’t do a good job. Or that I don’t enjoy their music, the movies/plays, or watching a good sports event here and there (even had some season tickets to some of those things in the past). Nor do I say that the contributions to our society aren’t good in some ways. But I want to raise some thoughts in this area.Let me center on the movie business. I was watching a movie the other day, and was struck at how often we see movie stars portraying a variety of roles of people doing really important things. Like portraying soldiers who defend a nation….like the show about Leonidas and Xerxes, doctors who save lives under duress, rescue workers who risk their lives to save people in distress like the Costner movie about the Sea Rescue Divers, firefighters battling raging flames, politicians who stand for the cause, attorneys who take on the big, evil companies, even teachers who turn around the lives of struggling schools and kids. You know movies and shows like these things. But here is my point: isn't it kind of out of whack that somebody PRETENDING to do these important things get paid VASTLY more money than the people who are ACTUALLY doing those things. I think of the financial concerns some of the families of soldier victims down at Ft. Hood have after the shooting…no big huge salary came to those soldiers for giving their lives in the service of their nation.
What if people really were paid according to the importance of the work they do for society. What would teachers be paid? Or, how about the bus drivers who deal with lots of issues as they transport those children to be taught? What would the nurses and aides be paid who shower elderly in nursing homes or change bedpans in hospitals? Or how about those folks who come by the house week after week to pick up and haul off the trash we place by the curb. Or the individuals who go out in the icy weather to repair power lines for people whose electricity has been knocked out by winter storms. Imagine the salary that would have to be paid to those police officers who rushed to the tragedy up in Portland, Oregon or similar events. Even that individual who works faithfully in the church nursery week after week, so that the parents can participate in Bible study classes or times of worship…the examples are endless. Frankly, I’d much rather have to do without films where people pretend to be good police officers than to live in a society without the reality of good police officers, wouldn't you?
What does this have to do with divorce? Well, nothing, kind of, and everything. And that is this: if you are person, who through the tragedy of divorce, have done your best to be consistent with the higher values of your life, and have sought to make every effort to responsibly guide your children through the treacherous waters of growing up with parents who split up, then you should know, there isn't enough money on earth to pay for what you do. However, that is okay, because Jesus made pretty plain that the best rewards aren't here on earth anyway…..they are in heaven where we are to be storing our true treasures. Society may not recognize the value of what many people do. But God recognizes it, and will make appropriate rewards at the appropriate time. Just remember, your salary is not necessarily indicative of the importance of what you do. Enough said, the rant is over.
BTL:dr Financial rewards aren't always very good indicators of the importance of what people do in our society.
