The Man in the Mirror

As the whole nation knows on Thursday June 25th at 2:15p.m., we lost a musical icon. As I watched the news footage of Michael Jackson's unfortunate demise, I was saddened with grief in my Spirit. Here was a man that God gave an incredible amount of talent to, people loved his music, chastised and ridiculed his contraversial behavior and times often erratic, and mourned him in his passing. How could someone so great lose his way. And as I continued to watch the overshadowing of his passing versus Farrah Faucett's passing, I have to question the significance of it all. People related to Michael because he was awe-inspiring, charismatic, and pushed the envelope in every aspect of his genre and career. . . but. . . what was missing? He had stated many times in award acceptance that his gifts were given by God, he had grown up in a Jehovah-witness very spiritual home support from his mother, and yet he was missing that close personal relationship with Christ. He would often compare himself to the Elephant Man being teased as a child by his father about his looks. Could he have been saved, I don't know. . . but. . . God showed me through this that when we take a look at ourselves in the mirror, what is it that we see? If it's not Christ, the Hope of Glory, then, nothing on this earth will ever sustain us. No amount of money, fame, notoriety, and the like will keep us from diminishing all of the talents that God gives us. . . unless. . . we know to trust Him. As the days and weeks pass just like other celebrities have gone before us, I feel that a great loss in the industry will be missed, and for the boy who never wanted to grow up, his talent will not be forgotten. What will you do? If you know someone who is struggling with addiction, get them help. . . your son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister need the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and maybe these unfortunate tragedies can be prevented before they even start!!!

In God We Trust,
Erik W. Chase