Far From The Shallow

I’ve heard Shallow a dozen times before — in the car, on the radio, saw the movie a couple of times, yeah I do that every so often...

But the other day it hit different. I don’t know if it’s because I’m older now, or because I was half-laughing at myself for trying to hit those Lady Gaga high notes in the kitchen while making coffee, but something about it stopped me cold.

That chorus came through — “I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive in” — and suddenly I wasn’t just thinking about a movie duet.

I started thinking about my kids. My friends. My family. My church family.

How much we are all in a fight for our lives when it comes to staying afloat in a world that is constantly trying to pull us under. Not just physically, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Some of us are barely treading water.
Some of us are going under, smiling for the picture, hoping no one notices.

And I thought — we’ve got to talk about this.

In A Star Is Born, Shallow isn’t just a love song — it’s a gut punch.

Bradley Cooper’s character, drowning in fame, addiction, and regret, sings like a man clawing for air. Lady Gaga’s character, caught between love and the blinding glare of the spotlight, answers with that haunting question:

It’s passion.
It’s desperation.
It’s two people searching for something real while the world around them is loud, fake, and shallow.

When they hit that chorus — “I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive in” — you feel the plunge. But in the story, the deep end isn’t rescue — it’s beauty tangled with pain, vulnerability wrapped in tragedy.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth: That’s our world.

We’ve convinced ourselves we’re “diving deep,” but most of us are just sinking slowly — chasing meaning in careers, relationships, entertainment, politics, or status, all while our souls grow weaker.

If we’re honest, social media has become the stage for the world’s most convincing masks.

We see smiling families, dream vacations, perfectly plated dinners, and motivational quotes… yet behind the glass is a heart breaking in silence.

We hear the truth in quiet conversations —
“I’m exhausted.”
“I feel alone even in a crowd.”
“I smile for the pictures, but I cry in the car.”

The shallow is where we curate our lives to look “blessed” while quietly suffocating under pain, anger, defeat, sadness, or crushing loneliness.

If this is you, hear me: you’re not weak for struggling — you’re human. Even Elijah, a prophet who called down fire from heaven, collapsed under the weight of despair and prayed for God to take his life (1 Kings 19:4).

What to do right now:

• Bring it to God raw. No filters, no edits — just the truth. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”
• Let someone in. Pain grows in isolation but begins to heal in community. James 5:16 says to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
• Stop performing. God never asked for a perfect Instagram feed — He asked for a surrendered heart.

Maybe you’re on the other side — you suspect the smiling friend or picture-perfect sibling is actually drowning. Here’s how to help without making them feel like a project:

1. Be present, not pushy. Sometimes sitting in silence is more healing than quoting Scripture too soon.
2. Pray like it matters. Not “I’ll pray for you” in passing, but interceding like their life depends on it.
3. Remind them of their worth. Not by flattery, but by pointing them back to their identity in Christ.
4. Stick around. Pain doesn’t leave after a week. Don’t you, either.

We don’t just drift here — we’re trained to stay here. Social media and technology have discipled us to live on the surface:

• Content gets shorter — depth takes time, and time kills ad revenue.
• Truth gets diluted — algorithms reward outrage, not accuracy.
• Identity gets fractured — measured in likes, shares, and comments.

Paul warned in 2 Timothy 4:3–4 that people would “gather around them… to say what their itching ears want to hear.” Today, our “teachers” are influencers, memes, and headlines — not shepherds of our soul.

A recent Al Jazeera segment on AI and media laid it bare:

• AI can fabricate voices, faces, and videos so real you can’t tell they’re fake.
• News is tailored to confirm your bias and hide uncomfortable truths.
• Surveillance and predictive algorithms are already shaping what you see, what you buy, even what you believe.

We’re not just losing privacy — we’re losing the ability to think independently. Jesus said in John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” If the truth is hidden or replaced with simulations, freedom dies quietly.

Shallow living is deadly to faith.

When we live in the performance, the noise, the curated version of ourselves, we become:

• Spiritually malnourished (Hebrews 5:12–14).
• Easily swayed by deception (Ephesians 4:14).
• More loyal to an online tribe than to the Kingdom (Philippians 3:20).

Instead, God calls us to:

• Anchor in Christ’s identity – Colossians 3:3
• Pursue truth at all costs – Proverbs 23:23
• Slow our pace – Jesus walked, noticed, engaged deeply.
• Choose community over consumption – real conversations, not curated feeds.

The shallow feels safe because it’s familiar.
It’s possible to be surrounded by followers and still feel unseen.
It’s possible to post joy while drowning in sorrow.
It’s possible to wear the “blessed” shirt while your soul quietly bleeds.

The good news? Jesus doesn’t stand on the shore yelling at you to swim harder. He gets in the water, pulls you close, and says, “I’ve got you. Let’s go deeper.”

But here’s the question you’ll have to answer —
When He reaches out His hand, will you take it… or will you keep smiling for the picture?