Jon & Kate Plus 8

Okay, I will start with saying that I do realize that I am about to blog about a TV show, and there is a certain part that is pathetic, but I just had to say something.

I have watched this show for quite a few years and I will say that I wasn't very surprised to see at the end of last season that Jon was not thrilled about doing another season and that was the whole cliffhanger, was would they be back or not. Now mind you, this was before any of the stories or rumors about Jon broke, but over the last season he had just become less interested in being on camera at all. And to be honest I saw random stories about the different things, but I really didn't pay much attention to them so when the first show came out I actually had missed it on my DVR, and saw the second and third episodes first. While those shows didn't look too different from the end of last season (just like a busy family), I happened upon the first episode and I was absolutely floored by it.

To watch a show that is usually so happy and even when things were tough you can still see things come together. But to see it so very different was heartbreaking. This is where I am going to the extreme, I realize. As I watched the looks on their faces and them dodge each other for their child's birthday party, I was speechless and could do nothing but shake my head. It broke my heart for their 8 children and for their little hearts, and yes I will say it, It broke my hearts for Jon and Kate and the hurt that they are going through. You see in their show they have talked about the fact that they are constantly filming. They don't take a period of time off, like some shows do. While they aren't filming 24/7, they don't film for 3 months and take 3 months off. So in a show like this, unlike The Hills, you do feel like you see a certain amount of authenticity. This is a christian family and to see it being torn apart is hard to watch.

Now I am not naive. I do not believe that this type of thing does not happen, nor do I believe that it is more heartbreaking when seen in the lives of people on tv. It is devastating when lives are torn apart whether they are co-workers, friends, pastors or family. But as I sat and watched this family I truly believe that this is not just the natural evolution of living in a fallen world. There are other forces at work here and for first time in my life I found myself praying for a television show. And I have to be honest and say that it didn't end there. When I woke up the next morning Jon & Kate were the first people on my mind again. If God can bring dead people back to life he can bring a dead marriage back to life. Whether that of a TV family or of any other. So it is with a little embarasement that I will admit that I will be praying for them. Not to ensure the success of their show or so they can sell another book, but for the lives of the 10 people that myself and millions of others were all too happy to watch for an hour a week.