When I was a teenager, I enjoyed listening to music. There were many bands I listened to and some that I loved. One rock star that always remained a complexity for me was Alice Cooper. He was somewhat heavy metal and I really didn’t get into heavy metal all that much, although I enjoyed a couple of Alice’s songs. “I’m Eighteen” and “School’s Out” were iconic. Every kid loved those songs. In fact, you still hear them played today and everyone can relate to them.
The reason I found Alice Cooper complex is he was very theatrical, wore a lot of makeup and portrayed the dark side. I was very conservative when I was growing up. I still am. I never cussed, I didn’t have a sip of alcohol until I turned 21 and I never did drugs. I got teased about all those things growing up, but they were personal principles I chose to live by. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly wasn’t the perfect kid, but I never got into trouble. I’m pretty proud of that.
So, today I stumbled upon a video on Alice Cooper. Don’t ask me why it popped up on my computer or why I even watched it. I guess God just wanted me to see it.
Alice Cooper was always the epitome of “bad boy”. His performances were outrageous. During his early career, he became an alcoholic and a drug user. In fact, he reached a point where he almost lost everything, including his life and his family, because of alcohol and drugs. What I didn’t previously know about Alice Cooper was he was raised in a very religious family and was quite religious himself. He slipped a little when he was going through his bout with drugs and alcohol, but went back to his values and turned to God.
I’d encourage you to watch the video for yourself at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqkzpZYLwTs
Drugs and alcohol controlled Alice Cooper’s life at one point, as it did many rock stars back in that era. There’s actually a 27 Club composed of entertainers who died at the age of 27 due to alcohol and drugs. Mind you, this was at the peak of their careers. Membership included such icons as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Janis Joplin. Everyone thought Alice Cooper was going to join that Club. Lying in a hospital room, the doctors gave him less than a month to live. Instead of dying, he remembered his values and returned to the Lord.
In the video, Alice was asked why drugs and alcohol became so popular and so destructive back then. His response was, “If you don’t have the Lord in your life, you’re always going to be trying to fill that hole with something.” Although Alice fell into that trap, he changed his life, returned to God and found his purpose.
I didn’t realize it, but Alice is still performing. His performances are still a bit outrageous, but all of his songs now have a theme pointing to God. Sometimes the message is a little cryptic and not quite clear, but Alice has had many people return to God because they’ve listened to his songs and received the messages he was sending.
When he first started proclaiming Christ in his songs, everybody thought his career would be over, but just the opposite happened. He says he’s more popular today than he was back in the 70’s.
In the video, Alice Cooper makes a lot of profound statements. The one that really stood out for me was when he said, “Our setback can be used as a set up by God.” He was referring to the fact that the setback he experienced helped set up a new message and a new career for him. He no longer has a hole he’s trying to fill; he has a purpose he wants to achieve. This purpose (leading people to God) is so much more important than the career and fame he was searching for back in the 70’s. He no longer feels empty and truly enjoys what he’s doing.
Myasthenia Gravis was a setback for me, but God set me up with an idea. I could write blogs about MG and perhaps help others in the process. And, if you’ve noticed, it’s not only about MG that I write. I also try to turn people to God. God is our strength and our salvation. I don’t do any advertising or promotion of my blogs, yet I’m reaching more and more people. God set me up. I don’t know where this is going to lead, but I’m ready for whatever he has planned.
It’s easy to get down when you have Myasthenia Gravis, but maybe it’s time you really think about what God is setting you up to do. Maybe it’s to promote Myasthenia Gravis awareness so more people become aware of the disease and what it does to those who have it. By increasing awareness, you may be helping fund more research that hopefully one day may lead to a cure.
Maybe your purpose is to become a ray of sunshine for your family and everyone around you. You know, the person that always smiles and improves the attitude of everyone they see. Maybe your purpose is to mend fences with a relationship that may have been damaged or broken. Maybe your purpose is to prove to others that God uses setbacks as set ups.
Whatever your purpose might be, find it, embrace it, pursue it and do it. MG can get you down, but it doesn’t have to take you out. If Alice Cooper can find his purpose and bring people to God with his outrageous performances, surely your purpose is meaningful and worthwhile.