Fan-dom and God

In the past year or so, I have discovered the interesting world of fan-dom. Up to this point, I have occasionally admired actors, directors, authors, and politicians but the desire to connect with them never became acute. I figured that there was nothing I could say or do that would ever register on their radar, and so there was no particular point in making any effort.

And then, in the process of doing some personal research on Bollywood, I stumbled on the blog of Amitabh Bachchan. I admire the man's work, and would ordinarily have left it at that. But in the blog, I discovered an invitation to see the world through his eyes, to be a part of his "FmXt" (as he calls the extended family of his blog readers and commentators). Having never gathered an autograph in my life nor wanted one, I even joined the throng of those who asked for a "yellow line," the virtual equivalent of an autograph, Bachchan's way of responding to comments on the blog. It shows you that Amitabh himself has actually read your comment--he claims to read all of them--and taken a moment to respond. Yes, the day I got one, even though I asked for it, it made my day, even though I felt silly about caring so much.

All of this got me thinking about what it is that these throngs of fans actually want from the person that they clamor to be near. A movie star comes by and is inundated with requests for photos, handshakes, autographs--some proof that we have been in their presence, some acknowledgment that we exist. "Me, me, me, look at me" we cry. If we could, we would have them actually relate to us, though I suspect that most of us would be tongue-tied if we really came face to face with these greats that we admire. What would you say, what could you ask that would be meaningful? "I love you, I love your work, it has touched me so deeply." Here's what happened to one person.

So what does this have to do with God?

First of all, God is greater than any person that I may admire. I fervently hope that my admiration for any person does not approach worship. And yet this pale copy may show me something of what real worship entails. "Dear Sir, I am in awe of your work." "O God, all that you have made is amazing. When we look at the stars, we see the work of your hands; even a handful of sand or dirt is an amazing thing full of complexity and wondrous possibility." "Dear Sir, your book or your performance changed my life." "O God, you heal my heart, you transform my life in ways beyond counting."

God is greater, and yet he is also much more willing and able to pay attention to us than these human stars. We clamor for a Tweet or a wave, an autograph or a handshake. For years, fans have been mobbing Amitabh Bachchan's house in Mumbai every Sunday evening that he is home,just for the chance to see him wave to the crowds.
Yet when we pray, we have an assurance that God hears us, that he knows us through and through. For God, we are not one face in the thronging masses of admirers. We are intimately known and personally loved. It's a wonder to me.

--A Fan of God