Upheaval

In times of confusion and upheaval - not just referring to culture but in what we encounter in our
individual lives, we need the wisdom of God. James 1 states:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Upheaval can be an indicator that we need to learn what God has to teach us.  We can choose to allow uncertainly and trials to lead us away from God, but we need to mindful that He has a purpose in the trials that we encounter.  And, when we are facing adversity, we can keep in mind that He is at work, and we can surrender ourselves to His will, so that we might experience stability and satisfaction in our souls through Him.

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We can get a sense of God's goals for our lives as we read Ephesians 4, which deals with those people who are called by God to equip the body of Christ. We pick up in verse 13:
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--

So many Christian parents cling to the verse in Proverbs about training up a child in the way that he or she should go, with the promise that when that child ages, they will not depart from those principles - that can be challenging to parents, and perhaps discouraging when the fruit doesn't seem to be producing.

I would say that certainly would be the case for Keith and Mary Hudson - they are involved in the ministry, and it appeared their daughter Katheryn was on that track to be a contemporary Christian artist - I remember interviewing her prior to her appearance at Jubilee CityFest in Montgomery quite a few years back.

But Katheryn Hudson became curious, and pursued another direction - thus, Katheryn Hudson became pop superstar and American Idol judge Katy Perry.  Hallels.com reported on a 70th birthday party that she and her siblings threw for their parents last fall; in the article, it says:

Though Katy Perry's mother is disappointed that her daughter has turned away from the faith, she's still hopeful. "The devil definitely tries to steal my joy," Mary told me. "I sometimes have to fight depression." A few years ago, Mary anchored her soul to Psalm 113:9, which says, "He gives the barren woman a dwelling, making her the joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!"

That verse inspired her to write her 2015 book, Joyful Parent, Happy Home. Mary Perry believes if you want your children to live for God, "You have to get happy and stay in the 'God zone.' It's just like when a plane takes off in a storm. The thunder and lightning may be raging, but once you reach 30,000 feet, the sun is always shining."

A recent Relevant Magazine story reported on Katy:

Since making it big, she’s confessed her upbringing sheltered her from a lot in the world, and she’s said she doesn’t identify with Christianity anymore.

This season, as a judge on American Idol, Perry has been adjacent to a lot of Christian ideas. One contestant, a worship leader who covered Katy Perry’s “Unconditionally,” moved her to tears through the spiritual nature of the cover. On the other end of the spectrum, Perry kissed a contestant of faith who claimed he was saving his first kiss for someone he was in love with.

The article goes on to say: "In any case, Perry has been engaging with her Christian past in a very public way in recent weeks."  It relates her Easter Instagram post, "my brokenness + God’s Divinity = my wholeness."

Well, if you do any reading about Perry, you do find a person who seems to be inner conflict.  She is currently embroiled in a controversy over a Los Angeles convent that she wants to buy, according to Faithwire.  The article states:

One of the nuns embroiled in a fierce lawsuit with pop star Katy Perry has revealed that sky-high legal fees have plunged her into financial dire straits. The group of nuns, who are members of the order of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, filed a lawsuit against Perry after she cut a deal with the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles to purchase their former convent without running it by the sisters. The nuns claim that the expansive property has been owned by the order for 45 years insist that it is their right to sell it and nobody else’s.

Just a month ago, one of the nuns involved in the case "tragically passed away after collapsing at a court appearance March 9."   The Faithwire story stated that "the Daily Mail reported that multi-millionaire artist Perry told the nuns that she wants the gorgeous 22,000 sq ft Mediterranean-inspired property so she can “sip green tea and find herself.”

As an Idol judge, TIME Magazine explores it in the context of the pinball machine that has been her career for the past two years:

In her music career, she pivoted from generalized uplift like “Firework” to generalized political engagement with her last album, 2017’s Witness; the public seemed less interested in her coming into consciousness than they’d been in her looser, loucher pop. In 2018, as a means of preserving her world-conquering status, she’s swerving deeper into a comic persona that can’t help but dominate its surroundings: Her fellow judges, with less at stake, aren’t really there to play, and contestants have everything to gain by just playing along.

TIME relates, "last summer, she invited fans to watch her in a strangely compelling 96-hour livestream in which she underwent therapy, yoga lessons and the intrusion of cameras. And yet some fundamental self-protection clicked in even then, keeping her from explaining what, precisely, she was going through."

So, you have a very public search for identity and meaning played out in the life of a young lady whose life over the past few years has seemed to be characterized by upheaval.  And, through it all, perhaps those Scriptures that Katheryn heard in her home growing up are doing their work.

I guess when one is major pop star, there is some rebooting that is necessary, although it appears Ms. Perry is on a constant search, with no particular destination, with the exception of that fuzzy concept of "meaning."  The faith of her childhood provides that anchor that she needs, and a deep-rooted faith in Christ can provide the moorings that will enable us to experience true happiness and satisfaction.  And, certainly we all will need to reboot or reset from time-to-time; that is what repentance and sanctification are all about - God's Word provides us the direction we need so that we are not blown about by the untrustworthy winds of the world.

One of the tools that God will use in order to bring us into conformity with His will for us and to help us discover our identity in Christ is upheaval.  As Matt Hybarger expressed in a song, there is purpose in the pain.  The uncertainties and instabilities of our lives can help to propel us to discover who God is, what He wants to do in our lives, and who He wants us to be.  And, in the midst of upheaval, He will make Himself known to us, if only we would listen and learn.