Saturday, May 27, 2006

A Celebrity Who "Gets It"



Evidently, Bono left Dallas a few weeks ago and headed back to Africa.

You may have caught his interviews with Brian Williams on NBC's evening news broadcasts earlier this week. I found his insights not only inspiring, but right in truth's sweet spot.

As they walked down a road in a village, Williams asked about his faith and about his view of God.

"I know you have said you welcome the involvement of faith-based groups in the work you are doing here, " Williams noted.

"But how do you see God?" he continued.

Bono struggled a moment for the words saying that such an important and complex question couldn't be answered quickly or easily.

Then he said, "One thing we know for certain about God: God is found among the poor. Those who have little else have God. I come here for this. I get something from this because God is here." My recollection of the quote may not be exact, but my words here are very close to his.

Earlier in the interview Williams had said, "Tell me something positive that is going on here. What has changed that is for the better?"

Without hesitation Bono said, "When I come here, I see the American Dream at work."

He went on to say that the people are hard working, intelligent and simply desiring a better life for themselves and their families. As he spoke the camera panned across several scenes of obvious industry at work, mothers with children and the beaming faces of a couple of little kids hamming it up for the photographers.

I came away from the interview realizing that the truth here works everywhere. In Africa and here at home.

It really is true. . .

God can be found out, discovered most easily among the poor, the broken, the needy and the outsiders.

People really are trying to pursue the "American Dream" of a better life through work and effort and seizing opportunity. I see this every single day in the city.

Our ministries, our policies and our lives could be and should be shaped around these two very important defining realities.

Bono is definitely a celebrity who "gets it."

2 comments:

Globalizati said...

Amen.

Now if only more of the politicians (and their constituents) would get it.

simplegestures said...

if only a few more of us would 'get it', perhaps people when in our presence might say "surely, God is with these people!"