lessons from Audrey

As my friend Michael was leaving my house Monday evening, he glanced at the image of Holly Golightly peering through a Tiffany's store window, and asked me, "Why Audrey Hepburn?"

I had been exposed to My Fair Lady as a child, and as a teenager I made the unquestionable mistake of catching Wait Until Dark on a late Saturday evening (talk about sleeping paranoia). However, my real fascination began on a dreary Sunday afternoon during my church internship. Like most viewing areas, South Bend has one of those TV stations that airs a variety of classic movies on weekends. At home by myself, I didn't have to fear ridicule for staying tuned past the opening credits to Roman Holiday.

[Spoiler alert!]

Having become something of an "Audrey apologist" in my mid-20s, I soon realized that the great majority were not mesmerized in the same way that I was. Over the years, I forced at least ten friends to watch Roman Holiday with me at my apartment. Most were kind enough not to openly ridicule my obsession to my face, but I didn't make any believers. A female friend became upset with me for showing her a movie in which the couple didn't end up together. I found no camaraderie until moving to St. Charles, when I caught the eye of some cultured folk wearing my self-constructed "I [heart] Audrey Hepburn" t-shirt.

[The appreciation of Audrey later became a key trait in identifying those within our "indigenous people group," along with liking soup, hating peas, enjoying easy-listening, and being annoyed when people ask if something is wrong.]

Despite the lack of corporate enthusiasm, I continued my fixation, though I had given up trying to sell "it" to people that hadn't found "it" on their own. How do you share with the color blind why the rainbow is captivating? :-)

Anyway, I suppose my deeper association has always been with the character Princess Ann, the dignified -- but unappreciative -- representative of a nation. In a moment of emotional outrage, Ann decides to leave the embassy to explore Italy on her own. She spends the next day doing all of the things she could if she were free from her never-ending responsibilities, and she has a remarkable time doing so. However, in the end she begins to understand that she is needed by her people, and willingly leaves freedom and love behind to return to her crown.

Sure, it's Hollywood, but it kind of feels like the story of my life -- the constant tugging back-and-forth between living as an ambassador for Christ and wanting to serve myself. The world offers me a vacation from it all. I can change my identity, eat gelato, pursue romance, and do so in anonymity. I could retain a temporal state of happiness, and most would encourage it.

But I'd be ignoring those that are depending on me. How could I receive the grace of Christ and not offer my life to reconcile others to Him? How could I be aware of the judgment this world will face and not share the gift of life? Like any associated with a dignitary, I have responsibilities as a child of the Most High God. I must proclaim His renown and represent Him with an honorable life. And should I ever run off to pursue my own interests, my love for His people will always draw me back to my appropriate place.

Before praising Him in heaven, this is the only opportunity I am given to build His kingdom. Many will deny His truth and live according to their own desires, but for those of us refusing this luxury, we must cling to the hope of our eternal reward and serve with joy. We must do everything we can with every minute to demonstrate His glory to a dying world. We must shed light on evil deeds and comfort the broken. Let us represent the kingdom that we have been placed here to represent.

[And you thought this was going to be a shallow post!]

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Cor. 5:16-6:2, emphasis added)