To all the aspiring rock stars out there, to everyone who dreams of sold-out arenas, platinum records and thousands of screaming fans, let me first ask you this one question... Why?

 

“Why? What do you mean ‘why’?” 

 

That might be your response, and rightly so, I suppose. After all, who doesn’t want to be a rock star, right? Well, why not ask why? I mean, isn’t “why” always at the beginning of revelation? Isn’t why we do things always more important than what things we do? Isn’t that what Jesus taught? (“But if I have not love, I am nothing”—1 Cor. 13). That’s my understanding, and so I’d like to take just a second of your time and ask you to open up that beating heart of yours, and take a look around.

 

Ask why.

 

Question everything, and perhaps you just might find out what kind of motives are fueling that ambition of yours these days.

 

So, let me ask once more… Why do you want to be a rock star? Or more precisely, why do you want to be on stage?

 

This past year has been a crazy one for our band [Tenth Avenue North]. After eight years of flying solo, we finally landed at a label, and since moving into the realm of national exposure and radio play, the most reoccurring question we’ve run into is this: “How did you guys make it?” Such a funny question when you think about it, because it’s so hard to define. What does it mean to “make it,” and how do we even determine who has? I’ve got to tell you, we may have a song on the radio, but by no means do I feel like I’ve “made it”! Most of the time, I feel like I’m even farther away than when we started.

 

And you want to know why? Because “making it” is going to be different  for every person. The definition of success is going to mean different things to different people.

 

What is it for you? What do you think is “making it?” But be careful now. How you answer that question reveals more about your heart than you think.

 

For instance, if you want to make money, then once you’ve made it, well then that’s what you’ll think is “making it.” If you want people to make much of you, then once you get screaming fans, well, then you’ve “made it.” But this is what’s so funny. I don’t know about you, but it’s been my experience that none of those things seem to really make a difference once we get them anyway. To me, it seems like “making it” isn’t even really humanly possible, because no human is made for just what this world can offer.

 

We have to be careful not to put the cart before the horse.

 

Remember my original question? Why do you want to be a rock star? Well, I hope it’s for more than just being a rock star, or you’ll quickly find that being a rock star simply isn’t going to do it for you. To quote Jon Foreman [Switchfoot], “I want more than this world has to offer.”

 

Our goals, our dreams, our ambitions…they must be more than becoming famous. Being famous isn’t enough. Getting up on stage isn’t enough. If that’s your only goal, then where are you going to take people once you get there? There won’t be anywhere else to go except to yourself. And sadly, you can’t give life.

 

Let me give you just one example. Think about Martin Luther King for a moment. He spoke powerfully and inspired millions to see every man as equal, but if all he wanted was to get some applause, he wouldn’t have changed a thing. However, Martin Luther King wanted peace, and it drove him to the stage to achieve that end. The stage was a tool, not an end in itself. Similarly, if we want our music to mean anything, to last beyond our five minutes of stardom, it must first be the desire of our hearts to want more than what the stage can give us.

 

Oswald Chambers said, “Our reach must exceed our grasp.” If all we want is to take the stage, then once we climb up on it, we’ll have nothing left to give. However, if Christ is our aim, if He is the treasure that we’re looking for, then we just might help others start looking past the man with the microphone and onto the One who gives us the songs to sing in the first place. So ask yourself just once more… Why do you want to be a rock star?

 

Mike Donehey is the lead singer and guitarist for Tenth Avenue North. The band’s debut project is called Over and Underneath (Reunion). Check out tenthavenuenorth.com for more info.