Charlie Sheen’s Great Advice to Lindsay Lohan
Charlie Sheen has never been one accused of having much wisdom. Most agree he is a good actor, currently evidenced by his ongoing role in the top rated comedy, ³Two and a Half Men.² He is in fact, as of 2010, the highest paid TV actor earning $1.8 million for every episode of ³Two and a Half Men.² Unfortunately being a great actor does not guarantee that you have even a lick of sense. His personal life has been a disaster for decades. But from a broken life we can all learn many lessons, including the one he tried to pass on to Lindsay Lohan whose life is also spinning out of control. Throughout the Bible we are told to seek wisdom. Many confuse knowledge and wisdom, but they are different concepts. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts, either through your experience or your study. Gaining knowledge is important and thankfully God has given us minds to search and know this world we live in. However, knowledge by itself is worthless if we do not know how to correctly apply it. Knowledge can be used for good or evil. Wisdom, however, is something totally different. What is amazing is that Charlie Sheen actually spoke words of wisdom. In several places the Bible says, ³The fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.² (Psalm 111:10) This is not a terror fear but a fear that is an awe and respect for who God is and what he commands. It is only when we step out in faith and obey God that we begin to grow in true wisdom. It is important to note that one can have knowledge and even wisdom and not apply it to their life. That has certainly been true of me. It reminds me of the man whose wife asked him, ³Does this dress made me look fat?² When he said to her, ³Honey, it¹s not the dress, it¹s you,² he was not exercising wisdom. Knowing what to say or do is not the same as taking your own advice. On a call-in-radio show Sheen gave this advice to Lindsay Lohan, “Work on your impulse control … just try and think things through a little bit before you do them.” The reason these are words of wisdom is that this principle and truth is taught throughout Scripture. ³Wise people think before they act; fools don¹tand even brag about their foolishness.² (Proverbs 13:16) Self-control is one of the fruit of the Spirit. One of the evidences that God is leading our lives and that we are walking in the Holy Spirit is that we exercise self-control; we are not a slave to our impulses. Like many of us, Charlie Sheen knows the right thing to do; he just has a hard time doing it himself. In fact his character on Two and a Half Men is loosely based on his well-earned reputation as a man who has no morals and little impulse control. He has shipwrecked his life with drugs, alcohol, and wasted relationships with prostitutes and porn actresses. Don¹t allow a self-righteous attitude cause to you condemn Sheen, for we all fall short of God¹s perfection. We can, however, learn from his mistakes and his words of wisdom. Let¹s trust God¹s Word, the Bible, and follow its principles and live lives full of love and self control. When we give into our impulses we will wreck our lives and grieve the heart of God.
