The 2024 Paris Olympics will be remembered for many outstanding performances. If gold could be awarded for opening ceremony performances, Celine Dion would have walked away with it.

Just months before the 2024 Olympics, Celine assured the world that she would sing again — and she was right! Over the years, I have been humbly proud to say that Celine Dion belongs to Canada — one of our own. I have never attended one of her concerts, but I’ve experienced goosebumps at Christmas, hearing her sing O Holy Night or singing The Prayer with Andrea Bocelli.

Celine is a highly acclaimed artist and consummate performer on the world stage, and she has been all that for decades. She has been performing since she was twelve. Celine recorded 27 studio albums and four hundred songs. (1)  She is one of the top three best-selling female artists of all time — along with Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift. (2)  

In 2022, it was devastating to learn that Celine had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome – a very rare, excruciatingly painful and debilitating condition. She is battling a disease that is slowly eroding her voice. By 2019, the thought had entered her consciousness — “I may never sing again.” (3) Years earlier, Celine knew something was happening. Often, her shows had to be interrupted as the spasms attacked her on stage. But she tried her best to assuage the fear of her fans – that all would be okay and that she had felt only a little bit ill.

The Beginning of the Struggle

While eating breakfast during her 2008 World Tour, Celine Deon first experienced an unknown pressure in her throat – a spasm in her vocal cords. She knew something was happening but had no idea why or what. That was the beginning of a seemingly endless search for answers. Her tour took her to five continents, 25 countries, 93 cities and over three million spectators! In every city she performed in around the world, she consulted the local respected ENT specialist to see if someone could diagnose her problem. (4)

Celine was the resident performer at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Vegas from 2003-2007 and then again from 2011-2019 – earning as much as $500,000 per show and averaging 70 shows per year. In October 2016, she celebrated her 1000^th Colloseum show. (5)

The Show Must Go On

During these years, she became increasingly frightened and frustrated with her worsening condition with no apparent remedies. “What do you want me to do? The show MUST go on!” She started omitting more challenging songs from her repertoire and lowered the key (pitch) of the songs she felt she could sing. She was deeply bothered by lying [word of her own choosing] to her fans for years, attributing her struggles to tonsillitis or sinus infections. (6) Years had passed since that first breakfast spasm on her world tour, but she still didn’t know what was happening inside her. No diagnosis.

Perseverance and determination are positive qualities, but there are times in our lives when we must stop the show and ponder the deeper things of life, i.e. the existential questions facing everyone, such as our vulnerability, our mortality, and our eternity. The human impulse causes us all to think: “My show must go on,” — but so often circumstances dictate otherwise. Life in the fast lane can hinder examining the very foundation upon which our lives are built.

Jesus talked about two people who built houses. One built on the sand and the other on a solid rock. When the storm came, as they invariably do, only the one on the firm foundation was left standing. (Matthew 7:24-27)

Fading Hope and Falling Branches

Celine’s condition was clearly deteriorating. She was worried about her future. She said she found herself —

"in black hope. I don't want to look into the black and have false hope. Tell me the truth. Tell me it's over and I will be fine. Because living in the dark is worse than dying." (7)

"They paid a lot of money around the world to come and see our shows. I feel like there's an apple tree — I'm an apple tree. And people are in line, and I gave them apples — the best, and I shine them, and they all leave with a basket of apples. And [now] my branches are starting to fall and sometimes get crooked, and those branches are starting to produce a little less apples but there's still many people in line. I don't want them to wait in line if I don't have apples for them." (8)

Announcement to the World

In December 2022, Celine Dion broke the news to the world that she had been diagnosed with a very rare neurological condition called Stiff Person Syndrome. (9)  Click on the Instagram Image to listen to her announcement.

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A post shared by Céline Dion (@celinedion)

You can research Stiff Person Syndrome, but the short collage of video clips below from some who suffer from this rare condition will help you understand what Celine Dion and others are coping with. (10) It’s difficult to watch. There were times during her shows when she took as much as 90 mg of valium to get through a performance, and other times when her entire body was in a spasm or a seizure, threatening her life, and paramedics had to be called. Click here if you would like to donate to SPS Research.

Makeup Loses Its Importance

When a camera crew arrived at her home to film a documentary, Celine met the crew without any makeup on and with her hair pulled in a bun. Asked why she presented herself that way, she said:

"At that moment of my life — what was makeup? What was dressing up? … It's not about makeup. It's not about a performance. It's about who I am." (11)

Behind the makeup is reality.

Celine and God

What is her anchor at this difficult and dark time in her life? Who can sing “O Holy Night” more beautifully than Celine?

O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error, pining
‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices ….
…. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us Praise His Holy name
Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim

But as I think of the songs she has sung about the Saviour, I worry about the disconnect between the lyrics above and her lived experience. Does Celine have a relationship with God? Does she know Christ as her Saviour? Does she have peace? What anchor does she have in the storms of life, and what light does she have as she looks ahead and beyond this life?

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the anchor for our souls (Hebrews 6:19, Holy Bible). The Word of God describes Christ as a firm and secure anchor. He is the anchor available to every sinner who is willing to come to Him for eternal salvation.

In addition to reaching you with this post, my prayer is that Celine will somehow see this post. Yes, we are praying for her health, but we also pray that she will open her Bible as a seeker and enter into a real relationship with God through personal faith in Jesus Christ. God offers a peace, joy, and satisfaction far deeper, more secure, solid, and permanent than anything her fans or fame can provide.

If you are a Christian reading this story, would you consider making Celine’s health and spiritual well-being a special matter of prayer?

Fans and fame cannot provide a secure anchor for any star. When the performances come to an end, what will remain? “Oh, I will sing again. I will sing again. That’s for sure.” (12) Celine is confident she “will sing again,” but even if she is able to “sing again” for another decade or two – what then? Just reflections of great days in the past? What kind of anchor are fading memories of earlier days?

Celine Reflects on Religion

Celine grew up Roman Catholic in Charlemagne, a town near Montreal, PQ. But religion is not what anyone needs when the storm clouds of life begin to swirl overhead and enclose us, and the unforgiving waves driven by the fierce gales of adversity begin to crash over us. Religion provides, at best, a false sense of security and a crumbling rock for any anchor. But if one abandons religion, what is their replacement anchor?

Significant moments in Celine’s adult life happened at the landmark Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal. In 2001, national television broadcasted Celine Dion and her husband, Charles Angelil, as they arrived at the church for the baptism of their infant son Rene. Fifteen years later, a grieving Celine and her three sons walked into the same church for the funeral service of René Angélil where, in happier days, they had been married 22 years earlier. Yes, significant moments in Celine’s life happened in this church.

People have been deceived, hurt and injured by religion. Some of that pain is seen in the reflections Celine shared in a lengthy interview with the Toronto Star:

Dion's views seem so unfettered by dogma that it comes as a surprise when, at the end of one song during her act, she makes the sign of the cross. Does this mean she is still a devout Catholic?

"I was raised Catholic," she says quickly and then comes a long pause. "Look, I don't want to cause any trouble with any religions, but you have to understand that my mom is my hero, and she had a tough time with the priests in the old days.

"Back then, they were leading the villages; they were the chiefs. They would come knocking on everyone's doors. 'How many children? When is the next one?' as if that was their right to know.

Dion, the youngest of 14, recounted to the Star how her mother once told off a priest who was pressuring her to have more children.

"My mother finally had 14 children. But after the eighth one, the priest kept knocking on the door and asking her when the next one was coming because it had been two whole years!"

Dion smiles. "But on that particular day, she found strength, and she told the priest, 'I am going to have children when I decide to have children.' The priest said, 'Then I banish you from the house of God.' She replied, 'As far as I'm concerned, I'm the God in here with my children. This is the house that I believe in.'

"That is the way we were raised. That is the strength and belief we had. I didn't have to go to church and get on my knees to find something to hold onto." (13)

The True Anchor

Religion is not the anchor one needs in life, nor are one’s career, talents, fans, or fame a trustworthy anchor. Others say their faith is their anchor—but there’s a problem with that thinking as well. The object of one’s faith is the critical factor. We could be trusting in our own beliefs, goodness, or version of spirituality, but how do we know any are solid and worthy of our trust? Perhaps you have asked the same question.

Her Beliefs Facing the Headwinds of Life

Celine talks about God, but her concept of God conflicts with the Bible, which is the Word of God. The Bible clearly distinguishes between what is created and the Creator. God exists outside of and is transcendent to His creation – the grass, the leaves and the birds. Everything is not God. The opening verse of the entire Bible says this:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 Holy Bible

"It's important for people to have something they can touch and believe in," Celine says passionately. "I say that to believe in yourself is to believe in God. For me, God is life itself, the birds, the air, the sunrise and the sunset, the children. Yes, that is where I find God. Not in a church." (14)

For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is God!), who formed the earth and made it (He established it; He did not create it empty, He formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:18 Holy Bible

Many people derive comfort and assurance from talking about God as if they knew God, could see God, and tangibly feel God in blades of grass, tree leaves, and sparkling waterfalls. But God is not His creation. God is the Creator. That God is everything we are as humans and everything we see and touch is known as pantheism, which is not even remotely linked to the fundamentals of Christianity. It is in fatal conflict with the Bible.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see… By faith, we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible… And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:1,3,6 Holy Bible

During the interview with the Toronto Star, Celine suddenly became very quiet and then said:

"If you can find energy in a rock that your children gave you, that can become the most precious thing in your life. I have boxes of dead leaves, branches, flowers that they brought to me. That's my God. That's my religion. .., "If you don't believe in something, then you're a little bit dead." (15)

Everyone should highly value family, relationships and the precious gifts we cherish. Still, they are no substitute for the security of having a personal relationship through grace with the transcendent and only true God. That is the core message of the Bible. Religion is not and never has been the answer. A personal relationship with the eternal God is the only true foundation upon which to build one’s life. People strongly believe in many things and hold tenaciously to their beliefs — but is that always wise? Of course, it all depends on what you believe. It’s not about believing in ‘something’ but resting your belief on a sure foundation.

Purpose in Life – Growing Older

Celine told the Toronto Star:

"You go through so many things in life. You lose people, you give birth to children, you see so many million things. You make choices. You learn to say no. You purify yourself, you look for spirituality, for emotional balance. I love the way our lives keep changing. There's one great thing about knowledge in life, about experience, about maturity, about time, about getting older and that's knowing what you stand for, what you believe in. It would be so very sad if we just grew older to die. There must be something good about this."  (16)  

This life is a dressing room before we step out onto the eternal stage. Too many are more concerned about their stage performance in this life than the curtain lifting for them on the eternal stage.

Prepare to Meet God

The most crucial consideration in this life is to be prepared to meet God. (Amos 4:12 Holy Bible) Someone has wisely said that one is not ready to live until they are ready to die. God is our Creator, and He is the eternal God. Regardless of their beliefs, every person will deal with Him, if not in this life, in eternity. The ideas people had in their lifetime about spirituality and their concept of God will no longer seem so lofty or intellectually brilliant. The loftiest ideas of human thought that mischaracterized, minimized, or excluded God will be so inadequate and shamefully puny in the august presence of God of the Universe. Then it will be too late to shift gears — too late to backtrack or make amends with God.

Celine said: “There must be something good about this life,” and there is! But the reality is – fulfillment in life comes not from our achievements but from having a vital relationship with God through personal faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, it’s not religion or spirituality people need; every person needs Christ as their Saviour and, through Him, a relationship with the eternal God. That’s the bottom line with God.

This website has many personal stories about the transforming impact of salvation through personal faith in Jesus Christ. (Scroll through the titles here.) Personally, I have experienced for over five decades the unsurpassed, unrivalled, deeply rooted, and firmly settled peace, joy, and contentment of being anchored in Christ. The same is available to you and to Celine—through Christ alone!

Here are just two verses from the Holy Bible that should draw you to Jesus Christ:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 Holy Bible

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 Holy Bible

Sources:

1. https://www.cbc.ca/music/celine-dion-50-greatest-songs-ranked-1.7238500

2. https://chartmasters.org/best-selling-artists-of-all-time/

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US3oUdVxdPM&ab_channel=CBCNews%3ATheNational (00:58)

4. ibid. CBC 07:24

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celine_(concert_residency)

6. ibid. CBC 11:00

7. ibid. CBC 14:00

8. ibid. CBC 24:32 – 25:31

9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRTD5DlZK4g&ab_channel=CTVNews

10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US3oUdVxdPM&ab_channel=CBCNews%3ATheNational  27:34-28:14

11. ibid. CBC 26:00

12. ibid. CBC CBC 01:45

13. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/celine-dion-talks-god-spirituality-and-vegas/article_9a037fea-18a6-52e9-aaee-395aa0e54add.html    January 24, 2014

14. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/celine-dion-talks-god-spirituality-and-vegas/article_9a037fea-18a6-52e9-aaee-395aa0e54add.html    January 24, 2014

15. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/celine-dion-talks-god-spirituality-and-vegas/article_9a037fea-18a6-52e9-aaee-395aa0e54add.html    January 24, 2014

16. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/celine-dion-talks-god-spirituality-and-vegas/article_9a037fea-18a6-52e9-aaee-395aa0e54add.html    January 24, 2014