Like her or not, Oprah Winfrey made has made a huge impact on the world. She has taped more than 5,000 episodes of her daytime talk show, transforming television and trying to teach millions of viewers how to live life with purpose along the way. Generations will remember this iconic woman of humble beginnings. No silver spoon there. She was born into poverty.
Oprah has been real–transparent. Her struggles with weight, family, career, etc. played out for us like a Lifetime movie. She has used her platform in innovative ways and fashioned the opinions of viewers everywhere. She made people think. She taught us that learning is a continual process. She even had people that hated to read reading with her book club; talk about impact!
The Oprah Winfrey Show, movie roles, O Magazine, and philanthropic deeds will not be the last chapters in the story of the Winfrey chronicles. During the last season of her show we were introduced to the O Network! Can you imagine owning your own television network? Talk about a legacy!
As I scan my memory I find little compromise, at least publicly, in her life. She stuck to her convictions and quite frankly, I’m impressed– to a point. You see, during a Webinar class, in which she promoted the book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, Winfrey stated “God is a feeling experience and not a believing experience. If your religion is a believing experience [...] then that’s not truly God.” Simply put, Christianity is incompatible with New Age thought. So, sadly, for all of the accomplishments, accolades, awards and acknowledgements from men, it will all have been in vain.
In Mark 8:36 Jesus asks a pivotal question: For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Many a believer might say that if they had Oprah’s platform they would do thus and so. But, would we really? Or would we find ourselves with a watered down Christianity because we don’t want to lose the adoration of men?
So many of us that name the name of Christ fail to acknowledge that we are yet works in progress. When God elevates us we seem to forget to draw nearer to the cross. Compromise begins to creep in and we begin to satisfy people with what they want to see and hear, what they are thirsty for, instead of following God’s instructions.
When God gives us a platform it is our responsibility to remember our mission. Thirteen of the New Testament epistles are attributed to the Apostle Paul. He was known Jerusalem to Rome. Paul used every ability and resource that he had for the furtherance of the gospel. His reward…souls! Churches were established–congregations grew. He could see growth in the youth like Timothy. Lives were changed as he declared that he was a servant of Christ set apart for the gospel.
We have to ask ourselves, are we fulfilling the great commission? Are we making disciples? I don’t know about you, but I want my legacy to be a kingdom legacy. Remember me for my love of God’s people. Remember me for the desire to see the kingdom of God advance. I want to have an impact on a generation. I want people to want to know the God I serve. I don’t want my living to have been in vain. What about you?
