Recently, on my newsfeed, I saw a sad story about pop star Justin Bieber’s arrest for drag racing in a yellow Lamborghini. The headlines said he had drugs in his system. I don’t follow him, so I know nothing of his upbringing or past, but as I looked at the rather crazed grin on his face in his mug shot photo, I felt sad. This young man had been given a great gift from God and, while he’d found success in his career, that success didn’t seem to bring him any joy. He seemed like an unhappy and out of control young adult. I’d seen many such stories recently about young people who had achieved great fame at a young age and whose lives had disintegrated rapidly as they became young adults.
On the same day, I saw a newly released interview with another young pop star about the same age, David Archuleta. The interview had been given after he performed as a guest artist at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas special. In contrast to the drug-induced, vacant, and wild look on Bieber’s face, David’s eyes sparkled with happiness and his smile was genuine and undrugged.
As I said, I know nothing about Bieber’s upbringing, but I do know something about David Archuleta’s upbringing, having written about him a few times. David is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are often called Mormons, and I believe this is what has made the difference. As I write this, one young man is in jail and one is serving a full-time volunteer mission for his faith and yet both have faced the challenges of early celebrity and plenty of money.
David Archuleta: My Career is a Responsibility
As a Mormon, David learned that fame was for this life only, but that this life was a time to prepare for the next life—an eternal life with God. In the above-mentioned interview, which you can watch at the end of this article, David notes that he feels a responsibility and a duty to do the right thing with the opportunities he’s been given. He wants to share his message and his songs in the way the Lord expects him to do it. David said that he often feels inadequate, as though he hadn’t had enough experience or training to carry off a song or responsibility but that “you give it your best and the Lord takes care of the rest.”
David Archuleta began singing at a very young age. He was just six when he started singing, and ten when he began competing. He was on national television at just twelve years of age. At sixteen, he was the runner up on American Idol and walked away with a recording contract and many fans. His wholesomeness, so unusual in young performers, appealed to many people. However, at the same time he was launching this high-powered career, he was also earning his Eagle Scout Award for the Boy Scouts of America, attending church, carrying out church duties, enjoying his family life, and strengthening his faith in God and in his faith.
David Archuleta’s Mormon Mission
When he was eighteen, he startled his fans by announcing that he planned to put his professional career on hold for two years to serve as a full-time volunteer missionary for the Mormons. He was called to serve in South America when he was nineteen. (Mormon missionaries do not choose where they will serve.)
During this time, fans have occasionally gotten glimpses of him. While he was in the Missionary Training Center at the start of his mission, a choir composed of missionaries sang for one session of the Church’s international conference. He joined the choir, and at the very end, the camera closed in on him. He also performed at Christmas celebrations at the Mormon temple where he serves. However, the majority of the time, he is doing ordinary missionary work, teaching people who want to learn more about Mormonism and performing service for the people around him.
What makes one young celebrity give in to the pressures of early fame and one resist them? Perhaps it is David’s focus on something more important than fame—eternal life. Perhaps it is his understanding that music is one way to make a living, but that it is not something that makes you better than others. Perhaps it is, as he said in the interview, the sense of responsibility he feels to use his career as a way to serve God.
One man is in prison and one man is serving a mission. The difference: An eternal perspective.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
