Death of an icon

Last night, I was riveted to my TV as coverage of the death of pop icon Michael Jackson went on. I was at A'oga Samoa until late, so I didn't know about his death until I got home. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I was reminded of the night Princess Diana died. It was like everything stopped and we were just mesmerized by the spectacle on TV.

When I woke up this morning, there was one image of the coverage that stuck with me. That was the image of a white body bag being carried on the roof of the hospital to a waiting helicopter. That was the last "image" of Michael Jackson the world will probably see. After all the thousands, if not millions, of photographs of the star, the last one will be a body bag carried by hospital personnel. He was perhaps the most photographed person in our generation. Yet, his last photo was not a flattering one. There was another photo later of him in the ambulance. Needless to say, there weren't his best.

When we die, we leave everything behind. We don't take our riches, our fame, our bodies. All we take are our souls as we stand before the Lord to account for ourselves. Yet, we spend an inordinate amount of our time on earth worrying about money, fame and beauty. The Apostle Paul said it best: What use is it to capture the whole world but lose your soul in the process. Put your priorities on what matters, gaining access to eternity for you and your family. In the end, that is all that matters.