A sad comparison

It is difficult not to be sympathetic to the angst of Jade Goody as she tragically plays out the end of her life in the same self-made publicity as she has courted until now. Goody it was, who in 2007 infamously left the Big Brother house amidst allegations of racism against a fellow contestant.

Even so, it does occur to me that the anger and self-pity stands in stark contrast to another cancer sufferer, Jane Tomlinson, who in a similar position became a supreme example of courage, grace and love. Tomlinson died in 2007 and her name has appeared among the recent headlines because her charity has now raised over £2 million. The difference between the two women could not be more stark.

I wondered if Tomlinson was a Christian. There is no mention in her obitiary, but as a demonstration of selfless giving for others there are many Christians who could do worse than follow her example. It is certainly not apparent that Goody is a Christian despite her desperation to be married in church, and for her sons to be baptised.

I hope Goody has indeed found Christ in her last days. If she has, it will be doubly tragic that she will be remembered less for her faith than for her notoriety as one of a generation for whom self-promotion and fame became the only reasons for their existence.

~ by Gavin on March 3, 2009.