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The promise that fame and fortune will bring about happiness has plagued the world since its inception.
Men and women have sought after power, glory and riches thinking it would fulfill and satisfy their lust and greed for recognition.
In modern America, parents will enlist their own children to perform and sing for audiences, hoping to catch the “big break” and reach the ever-appealing stardom of being an “American Idol.”
Aaron Carter, the child pop sensation who toured with the likes of the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, was found dead in a bathtub on Saturday, Nov. 5. He was 34.
Carter is another in a long list of celebrities who found fame and fortune, yet it availed them nothing.
Over the years, Carter spoke publicly about struggling with addiction, mental health and his own sexuality. All of these things are representative of the effects of a society on the human mind that has thrown out God.
According to statements made by Carter over the years, he knew he was missing something in his life. Having fun, being happy and raising his child were always at the forefront of his mind, according to Carter.
“I’m going to be a good father. I know it,” he said to People magazine in 2018. “I want lots of kids, lots of stability, lots of happiness and laughter and learning and having fun. It’s going to be good.
“I’m happy that I came out on the other side,” Aaron explained. “I was a very happy baby growing up. [Now] I just want to have fun, be healthy—mind, body, soul, emotions … all of those things, and really be responsible for my own actions, too.”
As the culture changed, so did Carter.
He started his career as a child pop star, and as he got older transitioned to having a rap career.
Carter began getting tattoos that match the culture and dyed his hair from his trademark blonde locks.
Looking to culture for fulfillment and acceptance will always leave a person empty.
Now, Carter tragically joins a growing number of celebrities who died young, suffering along the way to their untimely demise.
There was a brief period in 2019, many thought Carter had received Jesus after he tweeted, “When we turn to Jesus Christ, we are able to do things we never dreamed were possible. Or survive things we wish we never had to face.”
Yet, based on his lifestyle and actions, it remains unclear if he ever truly surrendered his heart to God.
Unfortunately, Carter succumbed to the growing health and spiritual crises that have gripped an entire generation.
According to the National Library of Medicine, mental health illnesses were on the rise even before COVID hit:
“Mental Health America (2021) used a screening program to identify mental ill-health. They found that youth mental health in particular was worsening even before the COVID pandemic, and the prevalence of mental illness among adults was also rising.”
Then, once the pandemic took hold of the world, the mental health crisis kicked into an even higher gear. The World Health Organization released a statement regarding mental illness and the pandemic:
“In the first year of the COVID pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%.”
The youth of America were affected even more when they were relegated to online learning programs that have set an entire generation of students back by years.
These tragic increases in mental sicknesses are a call to action for Christians, and especially Christian therapists.
There are many verses in the Bible instructing Christians to confess to one another their struggles and sins, and to bear the burdens with one another. This is exactly what Christian counselors are for, to help those who are struggling, who cannot bear their burdens alone and who want to find that missing piece of themselves which is only found in God.
As the world continues to promote government over God, personal feelings over reality and pills over prayer, these symptoms are raging throughout societies.
But there are good doctors and good therapists who incorporate sound medicine with godly principles, who are not trying to make the most profit possible at the expense of the client.
First and foremost, however, is the Great Physician. The One who died on the cross and shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins and the iniquities of the world. Having Christ as one’s Lord and Savior does not equate to not having problems, but in fact gives one the strength to endure and overcome those problems.
As James 5:13-16 says:
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”{eoa}
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James Lasher is Staff Writer at Charisma Media.
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