The world was caught in surprise with the news on the demise of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson, the moon walking former child star who became known the world over as the "King of Pop" before his life and career deteriorated in a freakish series of scandals till his death. The circumstances of Jackson's death were not immediately clear although there are many theories going on out there. Even his own father suspect something might have taken place. I still remember when we were young, we tried to perform dance move like Michael.
Anyway, my article today is on what we can learn from the death of Michael. Michael’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s. Michael at one point had it all: fortune, fame, basically everything the world can offer. Yet he still was searching and suffering his whole life and died with millions of dollars of debt. Columnist Andrew Sullivan, on his blog for The Nation magazine, wrote that he grieved for Jackson "but I also grieve for the culture that created and destroyed him. That culture is ours, and it is a lethal and brutal one: With fame and celebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, it chewed this child up and spat him out,"
Rev. Chris Long put it in a very simple way during our last Sunday service. He said the bible teaches us three principle of love. Firstly, love your God with all your heart. Secondly, love your neighbor and thirdly love yourself. Unfortunately, Michael only learned to “love your neighbor”. He was a great philanthropist. Michael donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundations, charity singles, and support of 39 charities. Jackson co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to aid the poor in Africa and the US. He was one of 39 music celebrities who performed on the record. The single became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief.
When looking at Michael Jackson’s life one of the greatest lessons I personally have learned is the truth of Jesus’ words of how blessed the person is who puts the kingdom of God first and trusts in Him rather than the arm of flesh. I am once again reminded on how human we all are and that all we have is a gift from God. We need to rely on the Lord through our good and bad times and remain grateful for every blessing He gives us.
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