Secret Millionaire

Have you seen the show Secret Millionaire on Fox yet? I watched it for the first time a couple weekends ago and feel like I had a life changing experience. I was so frustrated the last few months with my lack of dreams and vision for my life. I had been whining to Sam the week before with lots of tears involved that I just didn't know what I wanted to do next. Then I watched this show....

Honestly, I felt like I was watching one of the most brilliant things I had ever seen. After the first show I called Sam and cried for 30 minutes about why this was the most amazing show ever and how I HAD TO respond. He simply smiled and asked me what this whole business about having no vision and dreams for my life was? I guess I do have vision and sometimes it takes other people's stories to inspire us and call out what is within us. That is what exicites me about life. Our stories have the ability to change the direction of the lives around us. This is one of my most favorite things about Sam...his passion to tell someone's story through a picture--Someone who might never have their story told. People's stories always have something to teach us. We just have to be listening. Our stories and what we do with them and the stories of those around us are such a cool and precious gift that God gives humanity.

The premise of the show is pretty simple. Take extremely wealthy people into places they might never see and give them a chance to change lives. The irony? Their lives are the most changed. Typically the show takes them to places in their city where heartache and poverty are rampant. They are dropped in a situation where they live and work among people all week, posing as people living on the current welfare wage for that week. They tell people that they are being filmed for a documentary on homeless or living on minimum wage. It is phenomenal to see their whole life change in less than a week. They agree to give at least $100,000 of their own money away to people they choose. I won't give away the show but them giving the money away is pretty powerful as they reveal that they really are multi-millionaires and through tears most of the time they also reveal it would be their honor and privilege to give them this check.

The creators of this show are BRILLIANT. I was pretty skeptical of this show at first but have been thoroughly impressed with what they have done. And now on their website they have a section called "Have you been inspired? How are you giving back?" Genius, sheer genius! I have been a part of so many trips and local aid experiences but for some reason this show made so much sense to me. You are changing lives in the most effective way and then inspiring others at the same time. You watch people that needed a miracle receive one, and at the same time you watch someone that had no idea what looking at prices at a grocery store was like get to be a miracle for someone else. Both sides are humbled. I can't help but know that the God who cares for and loves humanity is at the heart of this. Regardless of the creators of this shows spiritual preference, God's heart is to love people and transform people. It is incredible to see a network take a characteristic of God and share it with us in such a creative way.

Each week I find myself crying at lives being changed....I can't help it. I am a sucker for a heart being transformed and realizing that world is such a big place. The most consistent thing you hear on this show is shock at how generous people that are in such less fortunate situations than the millionaires are. The irony once again? The generosity of someone making minimum wage is what changes the heart of people that have the money and influence to change the lives of those that are the most generous. Generosity has very little to do with money, it of course is one aspect of it but only one small aspect and it definitely goes beyond that. What a good reminder at Christmas when it is so fun and easy to get caught up in money and gifts.

Go watch the show...even if you don't end up in tears like me every week I think you will love to watch the human spirit at work.