What if the mission statement of a hospital were to read, “To make every patient happy and comfortable.” Can you imagine patients with simple illnesses or injuries winding up in critical conditions? “My goal is to make you happy,” smiles the good-natured, positive doctor, and people start dying like flies. Yes. We all know. A hospital and quality doctors are not about making patients happy, but making them well. And that at times will cause unhappiness when the truth, the diagnosis of diabetes, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, or cancer is stated. Making patients well will often cause extreme discomfort for a period of time. But the rewards are priceless.
It was one thing for society to lavish praise on Whitney Houston at her tragic passing. It was another thing for the masses of wounded humanity, struggling with addictions, fears, guilt, and dark passions to be told by heaven’s physicians that this happy lady is now singing to a spellbound God. Therefore, be ye happy, for your weaknesses, your vices, your wrongdoings matter not. Just, just, just… Just be happy.
Let me make my position clear. Whitney Houston deserves every accolade for her unrivalled artistry. She touched many lives with the beauty of her voice. In the 1980s she broke down the barrier for black female artistes. She was the most awarded female artiste of all time, according to Guinness World Records. Her down to earth, home girl, sparkling personality was rare in a star that soared so high and shone so bright. Yet truth dictates that we cannot ignore the tragedy of her life, the brutal addictions that ravaged her, mauled her character, and left her a sad shadow of the musical wonder she once was. Am I saying that she is in hell? That could be reckless. Who knows if in her last moments she finally made peace with the God who is “willing that none should perish but that all should come to repentance”?The dying thief on the cross did. So my mission here is not to be judgemental or harsh.
My concern is that a rare opportunity to speak to the raw wounds of humanity was lost because heaven’s physicians – clergy, pastors, reverends – were more concerned about making everybody happy than making people well.We are a thinking people, and the implications of that service are clear and confusing. Clear in that heaven’s physicians made it seem that how we live – our behaviour, the example we set, obeying God’s commands – does not matter. What matters? Our talent, charm and achievements.Confusing in that the voice of truth within us, relentless conscience, tells us that we cannot live as Whitney lived her last years (and days) and expect God to be pleased. How many have been lulled into a false sense of security by the lack of courage of heaven’s physicians at that service to strike a balance and speak the simple truth? The truth? Here lies a remarkable woman who amazed the world but was conquered by darkness. Bittersweet. Admiration and pity.Triumph and tragedy.Inspiration and warning.
Even before the funeral Piers Morgan, who has succeeded Larry King, described the one-sided praise and veneration as being hypocritical. He said that while the talent was unquestionably incredible such persons, including Willie Nelson, are drug addicts/alcoholics and certainly cannot be seen as role models. This Tuesday, CNN announced a story on Witney Houston’s daughter that would detail the challenges she faces as she endeavours to avoid the rough/dark road her mother travelled. Did you get that? The world is more honest than the church! Truth. Diagnosis. Truth that sets you free.
So let us all speak the truth. Let us be God’s voice to each other, encouraging, affirming, warning, correcting. There are so many wounded hearts around us and we can be heaven’s physicians, not making them happy but making them well. The rewards will be priceless.
