Stepping Up with Channing Tatum

Most people know that Channing Tatum is a great dancer from his work in the 2006 movie, Step Up. After all, he won the heart of his co-star, and now wife, Jenna Dewan on the set of the movie. Tatum continues to amaze us with his moves. He recently was on Lip Sync Battle performing Beyonce’s Run the World. Channing not only channeled his inner Queen Bey through his moves and costume, but Beyonce made a surprise appearance that is still being talked about! Beyonce was impressed with the impersonation and even texted Channing, “Hey, I would love to meet you guys and hang out when you’re not looking like me [like it’s] so terrifying.” In addition to being an actor and dancer, Channing is a very down-to-earth guy. We sat down with him five years ago and talked about how he is fearful of lying and what keeps him grounded.

But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Exodus 18:21

Tatum told Risen, “I honor (trust) very, very much. If anything, I’m almost terrified of not telling the truth. It eats away at me to the point that I would much rather take it on the chin whatever it is, I just cant let them go in my head. My paranoia of guilt is a thousand times stronger than what it would be to go ahead and lie and hope it works out for the best. I don’t do that stuff.”

Working in Hollywood, where trust is lacking, is difficult. Tatum shares how while he wants to be a trustworthy person, it is difficult to trust others especially when it comes to Hollywood.

“It’s always very shady. It’s called show business, not show friends, that whole adage. You almost can’t trust anybody and that’s really sad. You can trust a few people, but really at the end of the day everyone is going to be out for themselves. No one is going to be like, ‘Oh wait you didn’t get paid?’ you’re going to have to protect that for yourself-that’s why you have lawyers. You let them do the fighting on that front for you, what they’re good at. You just try to keep the art in mind. You can be jaded very quickly in this place-not to say I’m not, because I am, it’s just a fickle business.”

So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Luke 16:11-13

We asked Channing how he became so down-to-earth and were surprised to learn that he has ADD and dyslexia. While it was challenging growing up, we admired that he didn’t view them as setbacks, but rather motivation to work harder.

He went on to share, “My family and my circle of friends. They know who I am, and it’s probably not someone who everyone else thinks I am…It’s one of those things, I think I had a bit of, not struggles, but definitely setbacks as a kid- I don’t read that well, I have dyslexia, ADD, they put me on medication, all that crap- so I definitely know I’m not the smartest kid on this planet or the best actor on the planet, but I think Will Smith said it best, ‘I won’t ever be the best actor, but I’ll definitely be the hardest working one.’ And I’ve always taken that to heart.”

While we may not be on the same level as Tatum when it comes to his dance moves, we admire his work ethic and trustworthiness. God desires for us to be men and women that are known for our character. While our culture would like to dictate to us who we should be, God wants us to turn to Him and his word so we can become more like Christ.

Risen Reflections

Are you a trustworthy? Do you tell the truth regardless of who the audience is? When we modify the truth, don’t tell the complete truth, or tell a “white lie,” we are lying. Whether it is a business transaction or a conversation with a friend, God wants us to have character that reflects Him. As we spend time in God’s truth, we will be able to discern between the world’s lies and His truth. Telling the truth isn’t always easy, but it is the right thing to do. People will not only respect you, but you will be entrusted with more responsibility.
Is there someone you need to regain trust with? If you lied or broke a promise to someone, be willing to humble yourself and ask for forgiveness. Pray and ask God for the words to have the conversation. As hard as it may be, hopefully it will help restore their trust in you. Likewise, you might need to forgive someone and help them become more trustworthy. God gives us friends in our lives to help sharpen us and make us more like Him. When two swords are sharpened, there is friction. Likewise in our relationships, conflict resolution can be hard, but in the end it refines us and makes us more like Christ.
What is your motivation? Rather than make excuses or complain about a setback, use it to be your inspiration. Think of what you want to be known for. Surround yourself with friends and family that will encourage you towards your goal. There might even be a celebrity or athlete that has a similar condition. Look at how they handle it. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen overnight. Keep plugging away!

To read our entire interview with Channing Tatum click here.