The Bible offers us clear direction for walking in self-control, being able to manage our lives well under the authority and direction of the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 25 states:
26 A righteous man who falters before the wicked Is like a murky spring and a polluted well.27 It is not good to eat much honey; So to seek one's own glory is not glory.
28 Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls.
There are desires that are not of God that we will allow to control us, if we're not careful, and we can seek to follow the world's ways and please people rather than please God. Jesus offers the resources to follow Him; in John 14, He taught:
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Pop star Britney Spears has been in the news recently. At issue is a 13-year-old agreement, called a conservatorship, in which her father, Jamie Spears, controls certain aspects of her life and the management of her business affairs, which would certainly be quite complex due to Britney's success. Now she is trying to be released from the arrangement, claiming it to be "abusive."
Spears has questioned the merits of the arrangement, noting that she has continued to have a successful career while being denied basic autonomy. She also said the arrangement had forced her to work and take medications against her will, blocked her from getting married or having another child and controlled her personal relationships.
A seemingly informal movement has been issuing calls to #FreeBritney in light of her claims, but it seems as if the issue is whether or not Ms. Spears has the mental capacity to manage her own life.
And, this new chapter has certainly become a mess. The Guardian says:
Her controversial court-appointed lawyer, Samuel D Ingham, has asked to resign; the wealth management firm, Bessemer Trust, has withdrawn from overseeing her estate; her longtime manager stepped down; her father, Jamie Spears, has asked the court to investigate her allegations; and lawyers involved in the case have feuded in court filings.
She has now been allowed to hire her own attorney.
An article in Vanity Fair, not exactly where you would necessarily go to find Scripture quotes, reported after that development that: "her mother Lynne Spears and sister Jamie Lynn Spears both posted cryptic messages of support on social media," adding:
Lynne posted a photo of the bible verse John 1:5 to her Instagram that reads, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” This line is often interpreted as meaning that truth will prevail over deception because, despite the darkness’s best attempts to eclipse it, the light of God cuts through the darkness to illuminate what’s been hidden and make it known to the world. Jamie Lynn also posted some vague messages of encouragement that seem directed at her sister on her Instagram Stories on Wednesday.
Lynne Spears, who is divorced from Jamie, the father, has certainly walked a challenging path, actually wrote a Christian book 13 years ago called, Through the Storm. CBN.com reported that in the book: "she discusses Britney’s rise to fame as well as the lives of her two other children, Jamie Lynn and Bryan. The book is not only about correcting myths in regard to her children; it is also about sharing her heart as a mom and explaining how her Christian faith has carried her through the difficulties of parenting." The article notes:
Spears describes Britney’s fame as a “tornado” that blew through their family. In many ways, she says, they are still trying to pick up the pieces.
The article states that:
The sudden rise to fame took a toll on Britney and the family. As managers, agents, and record companies became more involved in Britney’s life, Spears writes that she began to have less control over her daughter and the decisions she was making – something she regrets.
“God had opened door after door, which seemed to indicate that it was his will for her to walk through them,” she writes. “I still believe he meant for her to do just that. Of course, our choices on the other sides of those open doors have everything to do with making the most – or not—of the opportunities we are given. And unfortunately, as the business got bigger and seemed to take over more and more of Britney’s life, we as parents started to lose sight of the choices being made.”
There are a number of cautionary aspects of this story and we have to look beyond tabloid or entertainment journalism and recognize that there is much about which we can be concerned in our lives.
First of all, we have to ask: how important is fame? The desire to make oneself known, rather than to make Christ known, can be a powerful force and can distract us from what God has in store. That lure of the world's idea of success, even for those who might have or even be pursing a call of God on their lives, can be highly destructive. And, as Lynne Spears said in that interview from long ago, a door might open, but that doesn't guarantee that we will make the right choices once we walk through. We have to be - and stay- grounded.
Then, there's the question of who's controlling your life? At issue here is a parent who basically doesn't think that his daughter is capable of managing her life well. And, there is a parental tendency to try to fix things. She was probably not prepared for superstardom - who is. Her life was certainly out of control, and her father was perhaps trying to keep things in order. The best option, of course, is to let God be in control of our lives, to help us make good decisions and to empower us to pursue a well-ordered, rather than a dramatic, or chaotic life.
But, the desire to control others can certainly be a strong one. We see that, unfortunately, manifested almost daily in the lives of officials who believe they know how to manage a person's health better than he or she does - and they're neither qualified nor really authorized to do so. Before we surrender to powerful forces, in general, who do not have our best interests in mind, we should seek God and allow Him to be the ultimate authority.
The drama of the Spears family can serve to remind us that dysfunction is everywhere - we live in a sinful world. Our families, churches, and communities are all inhabited by sinners. So, we are perfectly capable to live in that manner. But, there is power available to us that can help us navigate the messes of life and to provide hope for the days to come. Because we serve the restorer - of our souls and our relationships.
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