September 2009 - A Sad Ending to a Sad Life

09/01/2009

The past couple of months many people have spent a lot of time watching the many specials on Michael Jackson—his life and his death. Whether or not you are a Michael Jackson fan, you’ve probably seen some of the coverage. It’d be hard not to see it.

While traveling from place to place I like to observe how people spend their free time. The past couple of months many people have spent a lot of time watching the many specials on Michael Jackson—his life and his death. Whether or not you are a Michael Jackson fan, you’ve probably seen some of the coverage. It’d be hard not to see it.

People reacted to him in various ways, from immense dislike to almost worshipping him. One would think Michael was royalty from the looks of his fans.

As I watched some of the television coverage showing him as a child all the way to his last days, it made me sad. I was grieved to see how he had gone from a handsome very talented young boy and young man to the very disturbed, still talented adult he became in his later years.

Michael was a man-made idol the world over. But what was he really like? Besides being very gifted musically, he obviously was not happy with himself. He was a man who paid doctors to disfigure him, and it was doctors who allowed him to live on drugs, prescribed but still drugs. He was a man who was accused of sleeping with boys. (God knows the truth.) He was a man who made enormous amounts of money but who at his death was deeply in debt! He was a father who surely loved his three children, but allowed them to be exposed to his very bizarre behavior.

It seems to me that Michael Jackson’s life was a sad one, an unfulfilled one. He seemed to be searching for acceptance in his latter years. But sadder than this man’s life are the lives of those who idolized him. What an ungodly role model for this generation; yet many people around the world have him on a pedestal!

No doubt Michael Jackson had talent and a lot of it, but what a shame that he wasted it in his later years. He could have had anything he wanted, but at the end, he had nothing really but pain which ended his life.

When I heard of his death, my first thought was to hope that somewhere Michael had heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and that in his very last breath, he asked for forgiveness for his sins and asked Jesus to become his Savior. I hope that was the first thought of Christians everywhere. It should have been. Jesus said to his followers then and now, “ Go into all the world and preach the gospel….” (Mark 16:15)  Christians are to be sowers and the seed we sow is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the responsibility of every Christian.
 
I believe we should all take a long, hard look at the powerful influence Michael Jackson had on so many people, and yet how his life unraveled. Is this the kind of role model you want for your children—or for yourself? There will be other Michael Jacksons (though none quite like him). Let’s teach our children to look beyond the surface to the character of those they follow, whether it be a rock star or a best friend.

The Bible says,  “. . . It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). We will all die one day, and we will all face judgment. Judgment means we will give account for the life we lived here on this earth and what we did with Jesus Christ. Heaven and Hell are very real places and if you are reading this, you still have time to choose where you want to spend eternity.