Of course they were amazed at this star's beauty/body at the ripe age of seventy-four. Who isn't? She's pretty much up there with Dick Clark in the Who's Who of the legendary well-preserved.
Some of the women on FB gushed about the star's wisdom displayed on an Oprah program. Another woman joked about giving an arm or leg or a firstborn for Jane's toned arms. There was a lot of adulation.
Well, I didn't see Oprah, but the general consensus is that this lady is one of the best known faces for feminism. Her family name kickstarted her fame and her multiple careers have made her wealthy. Truly, if fame and money worked together to produce the abundant life, Ms. Fonda would be the picture of satisfaction. But instead, when I think of this beautiful woman...I think of the word striving. And striving can be like spitting in the wind.
Oh, dear Facebook ladies...you wouldn't swap all of China's tea for that package. Jane has been swimming upstream for most of her years. She had a rocky beginning with her Daddy who withheld love and a Mama with mental trouble who took her own life when Jane was twelve. All the material gain in the world can't fix that; only the Lord can fill in that hole.
This intelligent/accomplished/Oscar-winning/"liberated" woman went into her first marriage submitting to her husband's desire for a third person in their bed. The next husband was an alcoholic dedicated to being non-materialistic. He belittled her and would not allow a washing machine or dishwasher in the house. Too bourgeois. She subjugated herself to him, built a successful business, and gave big chunks of her money to finance his political campaigns. On her 51st birthday he told her he was in love with someone else. During those unhappy years, she dealt with children from both marriages...her affairs...desperate searches for causes and more causes...years of severe bulimia...and other body image issues.
Then came the husband behind door number three, a mega-narcissist who was caught in a "nooner" one month into the marriage. This husband had a trophy wife, but he did not love Jane in the way she needed. These days Ms. Fonda is single and says she is entering the third phase of her life, having moved from actress to business woman to now...an author.
Jane Fonda has had a rough life with many rejections. I cannot see her heart, but I've read her words that describe coming to Christ about seven years ago. Good! It is a blessing to know the pure Love that never changes.
But after her God walk began, the body of Christ let her down. Someone rejoiced publicly that Jane had come to Christ and she felt betrayed. It set her journey back.
All of this to say...I have compassion for Jane Fonda. But does her life offer any wisdom that I wish to follow/emulate/envy? Notsomuch. The next generation does not need to assign inordinate value to body image and Jane Fonda would be the first to agree. Jane's ungodly life choices reveal how 70+ years of rebellion take their toll. The "rebel without a bra"...the star of "The Vagina Monologues"...the Vietnam War protestor...the one casting around for significance...has hopefully found newness in Christ. He is a place of acceptance and love that she has ached for all her life.
I've always thought that Jane Fonda's honesty was one of her best qualities. I hope her future includes telling others the truth about her Fountain of significance and peace. Ms. Fonda has tried "everything else under the sun" and would be a unique spokesperson to confirm that He is the best cause of all.
Awesome article and observations.
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