Five Lessons we can take from Christopher Maloney's X-Factor Audition

X Factor is an English talent show in which people sing before a panel of judges in the hopes of landing an invitation to join the show which challenges each performer to sing their best in different genre in music, trying to expose their inner weaknesses in which case the audience will vote them off or to keep them on the show.

In the 2012-2013 season, a young English man named Christopher Maloney auditioned for the show and stunned the judges with a performance that must be heard to he appreciated. If you have not seen it, even if you have seen it, it is still a heart-wrenching performance when you see how nervous he is on stage. Take a few minutes and watch his performance here:



Towards the end the judges ask him why he had not sang in public before and he says people told him he was not that good.  Huh?  That is when it struck me-  God had given this man an unbelievable gift and because of the people he hung around, that amazing talent was kept hidden from the rest of us. I want to examine five lessons we can take from the Christopher Maloney performance.

1. While we are all gifted in some way from God, some gifts are more obvious than others. Many of us admire the athletic prowess of a professional athlete, or the literary gift of an author like Hemingway. A gifted actor like Jack Nicholson or an accomplished surgeon like Dr Ben Carson. Christopher is gifted with the voice of an angel, much like fellow Brit Susan Boyle who exploded on the scene after her audition on Britain's got Talent in which much of the audience were clearly judging her on her appearance. What she unleashed was a lesson in not judging a book by it's cover. Unlike Susan, Christopher was beside himself with fear and doubt, literally shaking like a leaf. Yet he was finally convicted to share his gift. I believe it is incumbent upon each of us to use these gifts God has given us. In fact, it is required to use these gifts. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14) explains this. A master gave 3 servants talents or money. One whom was given the most, 5 talents, used it most wisely and doubled the money. The second received 2 talents but likewise doubled that amount. The final servant was more concerned about losing what had been given, he never truly received the money and violated the master's trust. Furthermore, he actually, unintentionally cost his master money! He deprived his master of a small gain or bit of glory if you will. Likewise, gifts from God when displayed, honor Him and bring Him glory. If a gift is not utilized but instead kept inside us, then it was never truly given nor received.

2. Christopher listened to the wrong people for too long. His mother encouraged him but his friends kept him down. If you have watched these shows, especially the auditions, there are plenty of people who audition who need friends like Christopher's for they couldn't sing to save their lives! Be that as it may, we must be vigilant about those with whom we associate and entrust with our secrets. Those who build us up or we them, deserve our hearts and time. Those who tear at us and try to keep us down must be taken in small doses or none at all, depending on your strength and faith. Short of that, prayerful reminders of them to find their gifts are the most appropriate action.

3. When all eyes are on you, put your eyes on God. God has promised He will never forsake us or let us down yet we let Him down and take our eyes off Him all the time. I have no idea how Christopher found the ability to start singing, but once he did he was lights out. He gained strength and momentum once he hit his vocal stride. I know from personal experience, if He brings me to it, He WILL get me through it! I have faced many challenges as a leader and a parent when sometimes much hangs in the balance. I remember once when my boys were adolescents, they had made a bad decision and my wife had to call me at work which is something she has done once in ten years.  I had no idea how to handle the situation or what to say until I pulled up in the driveway when God gave me the words I needed. No physical punishment was needed nor a profane tirade. Rather I was poised and quite gathered in my message of displeasure. The message was received and nothing further was spoken of the incident again.

4. Face your fears.  I believe there can be no courage without fear for fear is a reaction but courage is a choice. What we do with that fear defines us. Courageous people stare it down and attack like a lion. They confront their fears head on and grow as a result either through the accomplishment or through a failure. Firefighters are often confronted with very frightening scenario with structure fires and they courageously run into buildings everyone else is running out of. While they have the proper equipment and training the civilians do not, it is still a spectacle to see people swallow an instinctual response of fight or flight and choose to fight.

5. Follow your dreams! I don't believe God will give us a dream that does not align with our gifts. By that I am not insinuating a boy dreaming of becoming an astronaut or pilot can't aspire to do so. What I am saying is a dream to have a family and loving spouse, for example, is within the grasp of everyone if they follow God's lead and the right person who complements their innate personality traits and character. I realize there are many dreams which are never fulfilled; for example some people fail to score the minimum MCATs score to enter medical school or they never make a professional team for the lucrative contracts so many envy. I would submit either these dreams were self-manifested or misinterpreted. Someone wanting to be around athletes might have been called to be a coach or trainer. A person wishing to be a Doctor might have thought that was the path they wanted to be on in order to care for patients when they fail to realize Doctors have little time to share with a patient but nurses and P.A.'s are the cutting edge of medical care.

Why were the wise men "wise"?

The definition of wise is possessing inside infor-mation, exercising good judgment, or to be informed about a particular matter.

For me, to be wise means to be able to apply your book knowledge with grace and love to your fellow man. This grace comes from the Lord, and thus wisdom, for me, comes from Him.  The Christmas story (Matthew 2:11) tells us the story of the 3 wise men who traveled to meet the new-born king.  At first blush, this seems innocuous, especially when we have long-forgotten the significance of the gifts. Our pastor's sermon this week reminded me of the significance of these gifts and the import of the prophecy they foretold. I felt compelled to share these ideas with you to deepen your faith and hopefully get you to ask more questions.

The old tales we have been told of the "3 Wise men from the Orient" may not be entirely accurate. Some accounts mention Magi, which could have numbered 12, while the number "3" may refer to the gifts which were rendered to baby Jesus. This link to Wikipedia names three probable Magi- Melchior from Persia or modern-day Iran, Caspar from India and Balthazar from Arabia.  When you look at the current map of the middle east, it is apparent they did not all come from the east nor travel the same distance. Arabia is to the south and quite close to Jerusalem while Caspar traveled the greatest distance coming from India. It doesn't really matter HOW many actually made the journey to see the new savior, at least not in this article, but why they came and what they brought.

Since we can reasonably assume these wise men were from different nationalities, they intuitively knew by the new star in the sky symbolized something significant had just taken place, and individually decided to make this trek to meet this new king. We know they realized the newborn was a king for in biblical times gold was a gift for kings. We also know frankincense was used in preparation by the priests for communing with God for the atonement of sins and myrrh was used in conjunction with the preparation of a body for burial.  Combined, these three gifts are quite prophetic which of course indicates these men were wise indeed; so much so they prophesied the arrival of the King of Kings, the Lamb of God and the Savior all in the same baby, and 33 years hence that prophecy would be fulfilled.

To further illustrate the wisdom, in Matthew 2:, he writes King Herod received these visitors and was quite angered by the proclamation the King of the Jews had been born. Herod was after all, the King of the Jews and of course being a small-minded man could not appreciate what the wise men shared with him. Rather, he was threatened by this proclamation so he calmly asked the men to return to share with him where the baby lay so he too could offer worship and praise.

    Realizing Herod had ulterior motives, the Magi were reticent to tip their hand they were on to him and returned home a different way.  Pastor John made an interesting analogy here: They came before the new born king, received new wisdom and returned home on a different path. Likewise we are born of this world and, when we accept Christ as our savior, we too take a different path to our destination (assuming we become followers rather than just believers).

Word quickly spread later when Herod realized the Magi were not going to return and report to him the first-born sons of all residents in Bethlehem were to be sacrificed, Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus fled for Egypt.  There they lived comfortably for several years off the proceeds of the gifts they had received.

Here is another sage piece of insight Pastor John shared: Those who are the furthest from God seek Him the most. People nearby in Bethlehem didn't even bother looking for the baby in a manger yet the wise men traveled a vast distance each to find an answer for themselves. God even announced the birth by sending angels to the shepherds in the fields and the gentiles, the simplest and furthest (spiritually) from Him. John added the lesson of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-31) in which the son turns his back on his father, family and responsibilities, leaves home, squandering his inheritance before humbly returning home to live as a lowly servant. His father would have none of that and hastened his other son to welcome and honor his brother and his servants to prepare a feast. Angered by his father's not honoring his loyalty, the other son wanted no part of the celebration. His father had to share his wisdom with him by saying "It is right to make merry and be glad for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found." (v31)

John goes on to point out the prodigal son, like the the Magi and the many other instances (Lazarus, the sick daughter whom was resurrected, the bleeding woman, the prostitute, Zacchaeus are but a few examples) in the Bible where people take from Jesus first before they can receive.

You must first take before you can receive. 

In other words, before you can have anything to give to God or anyone else, you must first receive from Him for without God, we have nothing. The Magi realized this, sought the new born king, took wisdom from Him and then gave him the gifts of a king, a holy man and a man being prepared for a funeral.

What is Jesus wanting you to take from Him?