I watch the television show Nashville.
I admit it.
First and foremost, I like the music. While I am not a country fan, I do like the live music scene, which is incorporated into just about every episode. Simply I have always been a sucker for music, so it was inevitable that I would wind my way to this show since it centers on the music industry.
Equally More appealing is the aspect of human drama and emotion. Nashville is ripe with it. The show is essentially an soap opera with far better acting and story lines. In fact, the lead female was nominated for an Emmy which validates my watching (or at least I hope). No matter how mad the characters make me, I still find myself coming back each and every week.
While the show is not always the most wholesome, it does provide an excellent glimpse into the human experience. It reveals the innumerable ways broken people deal with the brokenness around them. In these responses, it is evident where these individuals look to for salvation. And each and every time, this salvation miserably fails.
Here are a few examples from just the first episode of the second season:
The victim of an alcoholic relationship and a failed marriage throws inhibition to the wind. She indulges in all sorts of immoral behavior because her attempts at virtue and happiness have left her scarred and more broken.
An alcoholic turns to self-hatred and self-abuse. He hopes it will serve as a means of penance to make up for all the lives he has effectively ruined.
A terrible husband along with his equally terrible father-in-law rely on power and prestige to manipulate people. They feel this will cover over or at least mask just how poorly they have loved their wives and daughters.
A brother cannot cope with the guilt of his success at the expense of his criminal, and now dead, brother. He turns to women, partying, and shutting out everyone and anyone to dumb the pain.
The love deprived daughter of a drug-addicted mother cannot trust anyone. She is entirely self-sufficient, which leaves her miserable. Very few people like her and even those who do can only handle her in small doses. She looks for love in all the wrong places with all the wrong people.
A sweet and naive girl tries to save everyone in her life. She fails over and over, but still holds out hope that one day she will break through. She gets taken advantage of. She is treated poorly. Her hearts is repeatedly broken.
A young girl copes with the divorce of her parents. Their lies to her are exposed sending her into a tailspin. She chooses to bottle up her emotions. She seeks the approval of questionable role models. Eventually, she seeks out the counsel of one whose own life is filled with the same brokenness.
This all sounds depressing. It is depressing to watch. However, it is not far from what many people deal with each and every day. They are walking around looking for someone or something to save them from their guilt, misery, and brokenness. Sadly, every savior fails to come through.
If anything shows like these remind me how good the good news of the gospel is. The gospel exposes all functional saviors. They are unable to save anyone from anything.
In his life and death, Jesus bore all our shame, guilt, pain, brokenness, and sin. He took it upon Himself. And in His resurrection, Jesus claimed victory over them all. His resurrection promises our freedom from them, both now and in the age to come.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. ~Acts 4:12
I admit it.
First and foremost, I like the music. While I am not a country fan, I do like the live music scene, which is incorporated into just about every episode. Simply I have always been a sucker for music, so it was inevitable that I would wind my way to this show since it centers on the music industry.
While the show is not always the most wholesome, it does provide an excellent glimpse into the human experience. It reveals the innumerable ways broken people deal with the brokenness around them. In these responses, it is evident where these individuals look to for salvation. And each and every time, this salvation miserably fails.
Here are a few examples from just the first episode of the second season:
The victim of an alcoholic relationship and a failed marriage throws inhibition to the wind. She indulges in all sorts of immoral behavior because her attempts at virtue and happiness have left her scarred and more broken.
An alcoholic turns to self-hatred and self-abuse. He hopes it will serve as a means of penance to make up for all the lives he has effectively ruined.
A terrible husband along with his equally terrible father-in-law rely on power and prestige to manipulate people. They feel this will cover over or at least mask just how poorly they have loved their wives and daughters.
A brother cannot cope with the guilt of his success at the expense of his criminal, and now dead, brother. He turns to women, partying, and shutting out everyone and anyone to dumb the pain.
The love deprived daughter of a drug-addicted mother cannot trust anyone. She is entirely self-sufficient, which leaves her miserable. Very few people like her and even those who do can only handle her in small doses. She looks for love in all the wrong places with all the wrong people.
A sweet and naive girl tries to save everyone in her life. She fails over and over, but still holds out hope that one day she will break through. She gets taken advantage of. She is treated poorly. Her hearts is repeatedly broken.
A young girl copes with the divorce of her parents. Their lies to her are exposed sending her into a tailspin. She chooses to bottle up her emotions. She seeks the approval of questionable role models. Eventually, she seeks out the counsel of one whose own life is filled with the same brokenness.
This all sounds depressing. It is depressing to watch. However, it is not far from what many people deal with each and every day. They are walking around looking for someone or something to save them from their guilt, misery, and brokenness. Sadly, every savior fails to come through.
If anything shows like these remind me how good the good news of the gospel is. The gospel exposes all functional saviors. They are unable to save anyone from anything.
In his life and death, Jesus bore all our shame, guilt, pain, brokenness, and sin. He took it upon Himself. And in His resurrection, Jesus claimed victory over them all. His resurrection promises our freedom from them, both now and in the age to come.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. ~Acts 4:12
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