Legend Falls

 By: Elmer Williams

Whitney Houston may have had one of the best blends, of pure voice and the capability to deliver a song that we have ever heard. It was not that she could “sang” but it was her ability to deliver a song that was so masterful. She had a way of starting out at the correct range and going up and down with an effortlessness that was mind boggling.

 Even when Houston sings faster pace songs, her delivery was so on point that it made you forget how difficult the song was to sing until you heard someone else try it. She no doubt had a God given talent that was rare. She was the total package with her style and grace. Whitney Houston dressed the part when you would see her. She was attired in long elegant evening dresses. Her face was made up to perfection. She was tall slender, o’ yes she looked like a runway model.

 Whitney Houston was first introduced to America on the face of Seventeen Magazine as a young innocent model in 1981. Whitney Houston was a mega star there is no doubting that, but she had a down to earth side that was so likable. She once sent IndieArie flowers to congratulate her and Arie did not even know Whitney personally. She befriended Kim Burrell before anyone even knew who Kim Burrell was. She was even happy singing backup to Cece and Bebe Winans.

 Listen to what was said in a 1989 People.com article.

                 [i]“Houston, who introduced herself to the Winanses at an L.A. awards ceremony two years ago and told them, “I listen to your tape every morning. It really inspires me.” Later Houston took the stage with the siblings, with no rehearsal, and hit every note of her favorite Winans song, “Love Said Not So.” Since then, she has been dropping in on Winans dates all over the country for the pure joy of joining in. “She’s been a true friend,” says BeBe. “Often we have to sit her down, because she’ll want to do the whole show.”   

 She was a Diva without the entire ego, and believe you me that is rare to find. Did Whitney Houston have flaws? Of course she had issues as do we all, but her mistakes were magnified because she was a star. Whitney Houston’s down fall was no doubt her battle with drugs. This is well documented and I will not spend time talking about that in details.

 Some blame Bobby Brown for her fall and we all know that he was not the most positive person in her life. I was one of the first to say that Bobby Brown was not good for Whitney. However I think that this is much deeper than Bobby Brown or the drugs.

 What causes a person to become dependent on drugs in the first place? It is because there is emptiness within the person’s heart that they are looking to fill. Many claim that Whitney was a Christian and I am not here to challenge that claim. It appeared that she loved the LORD but it is hard to get away from the fact that she wanted others approval. Whitney’s biggest problem maybe stem from the fact that she cared to much about what others thought.

I believe this is why she married Bobby Brown. She was not considered as “black enough” which is shallow of anyone that makes that claim. She started taking drugs I believe to get away from all the criticism of what people thought about her. This is what I said in my short book “How to Use Common Sense for a Happy Life”.

  (ii) [ii]“I can honestly say that I do not claim to have all the answers to obtaining happiness. However I do have a sure way to be miserable in your every day walk of life. That is when you make an attempt to make everyone happy. If your primary goal in life is to make people like you, there is totally no way you will ever be happy. Stop worrying about how other people see you, especially when you are doing the right thing. Demand respect instead of looking for pats on the back. It is much better for people to respect you than like you.”

 I truly believe that this was Whitney Houston’s down fall. She let what people where saying get into her mind and soak down to her heart. When the heart is contaminated with “please-itest” a new word I made up. You become so concerned about who likes you and how to please others. It was not the drugs by themselves or Bobby Brown that destroyed Whitney. No it was her craving to please others and to be loved by people.

 We have seen this sequel played out many times by Stars or Athletes. Michael Jackson the “King of Pop” had this “please-itest” as well as Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe once said that [iii]“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best”       

 What most of these stars and athletes need is a person around them that will give them the unadulterated truth. They have too many yes men and yes women around them that do not want to come across as being to judgmental. But I believe that many times this is what will save these people like Whitney from themselves.

 Everyone wants to be liked or loved to a certain extent, but the danger comes in when this becomes an obsession. This manifest itself when we develop the deadly disease called “please-itest” which is defined as doing whatever it takes to please everyone but God and ones self. You see even though Whitney proclaimed her love for God, and she stated that she looked to him. What she forgot about is that God loved her in spite of her flaws. Fans and fair-weather friends love you for who you are and for what you can do for them.

The problem with most people who are believers and non-believers is that they don’t truly know the God of the Bible. Once you get to know him you will cease to be impressed by people of any walk. I believe that God Almighty is the creator of the Universe. There is much evidence to prove creation as oppose to evolution. How anyone can believe that the complexed body with all the germ fighting devices can evolve is beyond me.

 Think about how far the Moon and the Sun are from the Earth. Is it just by chance it stopped in the exact location it needed to be in order to sustain life? Some say that the earth exploded into existence. My question to you is what did it explode from, if nothing was here. There needs to be someone or something that was always here or we would have nothing now. Tell me when did anything ever explode and cause order. An explosion will cause ciaos.

 So Whitney and all the others who are living and who have passed on should have gotten to know this God. The one who Moses wrote about under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost said [iv]“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”     

  Get to know the God who created the heavens and the earth and you will love yourself more, and not be worried about pleasing the crowds. I believe that this was Whitney’s down fall first and foremost not the drugs or Bobby Brown. The drugs and Bobby where just byproducts she used because she did not know God on an intimate level that gives you peace. You can learn a lot about God without ever knowing him. I’m not saying that Whitney did not trust God and she may have known something about God.

 The problem that many have with knowing God is that they use only their hearts and they do not get to know him from an intellectual stand point. This is what causes many to stumble and fall time and time again. Get to know him with your heart, but always use your mind. God is a God of intellect.

 

 By: Elmer Williams