So it appears that Cliff Huxtable has died. Netflix says so, T.V. Land says so, and others are poised and ready to declare the same.
What’s strange is the sadness I feel, even though I never personally knew Cliff or his family.
It’s funny isn’t it? The bonding we do with fictitious characters. It means nothing, and yet in some ways it means everything. And in a very odd, but very real way, their loss is our loss.
My kids grew up with Theo, Denise, Vanessa, and Rudy. I learned a lot from Cliff and Claire’s parenting techniques.We laughed with the Huxtables. We cried with them. Theirlife situations resonated with us. We saw ourselves in them. We spent time with them. They brought us joy. They were our friends. Our neighbors.
What made the illusion of the fictitious Huxtable family so real and so impactful is that we identified so strongly with the actors who portrayed these characters. We believed in them. They were good people. Upstanding citizens. Role models you could trust.
Bill Cosby, the comedian.
Bill Cosby, Jello® sponsor.
Bill Cosby, great father.
Bill Cosby, role model.
Bill Cosby, rapist?
It just doesn’t make sense. Our minds and our hearts scream “No, it can’t be true. Please, don’t let anotherhero disintegrate.”
And yet we know that heroes disappoint. Heroes fail. And heroes almost never live up to the expectations we set for them.
The Apostle Paul was very aware of this. And cautioned against any of us thinking we were above failing:
“Whereby let him that standeth, take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12)
“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest by any means, when I have preached to others I myself should be a castaway. “ (1 Corinthians 9:27)
The longer I live, the more I realize that truly there is no one good but God. Christ and Christ alone is the only infallible one and the only one truly worthy of my hero worship.
I hope and pray that the allegations against Bill Cosby are not true. (He has not been charged with any crime.) The Cosby Show gave me and my family many years of good, wholesome, clean entertainment and for that I am very grateful.
But let this story be a sobering reminder to all of us. That our sins, no matter how small, will find us out if we don’t repent and turn from them. And none of us arestrong enough or righteous enough or good enough to avoid gross misbehavior were it not for the power and the blood of Jesus Christ and a life continually submitted to Him.
Your thoughts?