A few years ago the faithful were excited to discover that hot new rap artist, Kanye West, was a Christian. Excitement gave way to disappointment. As his fame exploded, it wasn’t clear whether Kanye was trying to follow Jesus or trying to be Jesus in some weird way. I guess it’s hard to keep your ego in check when you are the hottest act on the planet.

But wealth and celebrity can’t protect you from suffering. Kanye wrote his fourth album, 808s and Heartbreak, after being dumped by his fiancee, designer Alexis Phifer. It features Kanye half-singing/half-rapping somber break-up songs over a drum machine, with moody synths swelling out the background. It shouldn’t work but somehow it does, with tracks that are compelling and occasionally profound. A few hard-core fans are unhappy, but the critics and general public are raving about it.

One of Kanye’s themes is his dissatisfaction with the life his fame and fortune have brought him. He writes about this in Welcome to Heartbreak -

Dad cracked a joke, all the kids laughed,
But I couldn't here him all the way in first-class.
Chased the good-life, all my life long,
Look back on my life, all my life gone,
Where did I go wrong?

 
West has achieved more wealth and success than he ever imagined, yet he has failed to find the good life he was seeking. The Scriptures could have told him that wealth is deceptive, and that life does not consist of an abundance of possessions. It is good to seek the good life - but you have to be looking in a good place.

I wish we could say to Kanye, “Forgot your money! Forget your cars! Look to Jesus - he is the Way to Life!” But I don’t know if we can say that with conviction. I look around our churches and I see people who aren’t much different to the people of the world. We are obsessed with money and real estate and career and image. We are the children of God, but I think we are still the children of Sydney as well. That’s why it’s so hard for us to say, “Look to Jesus” - the words stick in our throat.

Kanye West is not the only one who needs to open his eyes.