Carpe diem is a Latin word, usually translated "seize the day," taken from the Roman poet Horace's work Odes (23 BC). Another way to say it is, "enjoy the moment."
American Idol is back on TV for season 10. I enjoy watching the stories behind the story. I like when people are given their "15 minutes of fame" and turn it into an opportunity for healing.
Last night the top 14 performed for a chance to make it into the TOP 10 for next week. The judges remind the contestants to "Show us you." Sometimes, it appears to be more like a Karaoke bar than America's stage, and other times, tears come and it becomes real.
One contestant stood out for me, Maddie Poppe, not because she had the best voice, but because of her raw emotion and tears that flowed down her cheeks. She said she "connected" with the song, "This is me," from the "The Greatest Showman" movie soundtrack, and that she can connect with young girls all over the world who have been wounded.
No matter who you are, what you've been through, or how you feel about yourself; you are you. There are songs written in the Bible. The poet, songwriter, and King, David wrote lyrics that came from his heart. In Psalm 139 David acknowledges that God made him "wonderfully," and even through all the tears, scars, and pain, God knows us, sees us, and is with us;
"You have looked deep
into my heart, LORD,
and you know all about me."
I pray that everyone will have their "moment." It may not be on a stage in front of hundreds, it may not be in front of even another person. It may happen for you when you are at your lowest point of your life. When you think nothing good will come of your circumstances and there is no point for your life. It may be when God reaches down into your heart and reveals his love to you and that love is so intense it's overwhelming. You notice tears running down your cheeks and that moment becomes real for you.
For Maddie Poppe, in that moment, it was real. For all the Maddie's of the world, seize the day and enjoy THIS moment.