Allow Me A Moment On My Soap Box

I feel a rant coming on. The past few days of the coverage of the whole Michael Jackson circus has finally gotten to me.It is all over the television, radio, Internet and the papers. Enough is Enough!

Just in case you are interested here is my take on the whole thing.

Yes it is sad that he died. It is especially sad because he left three young children without a father.

Yes he was immensely talented. I, like most other people who came of age in the eighties, grew up listening to his music. There are some songs that will forever remind me of my high school days.

Yes in many ways his life was tragic. He was used by family and so called friends all of his life and in reading about the show that was put on as a funeral, he was even used in death for people to promote their own self interests.

But he was not a God. In fact he was downright kooky and by all accounts a pervert that hurt children in ways that they will never recover from. It sickens me that those things were conveniently swept under the rug as the public elevated him to a "Divine Being" status.

There are two particularly saddening results of all of this. His children being one. What sad lives they have already had and it doesn't look like it will get better for them. First their mother gladly washes her hands of them for a price. Then they are raised in who knows what kind of environment, and now they are thrust into the spotlight and will undoubtedly be fought over if there is a chance that a nice inheritance is connected to them. Certainly their paternity and upbringing will be called into question. They will probably hear things about their father and themselves that no child should have to be exposed to. Most likely they will inherit their fathers legacy of being used by "well meaning" people.

But as a Christian, the most disheartening part of all of this to me is what now for Michael? Where is he spending eternity? Contrary to what Brooke Shields may think, he is not sitting on some crescent moon somewhere looking down on the world like a magical fairy.

I can hear some people now. " Oh please, if God is so good surely he would welcome someone as caring as MJ with open arms" or "How can you sit in judgement of someone else?" Let me just say I don't know where MJ is now. Only God knew his heart and who knows what happened in the final moments of his life. God's forgiveness is available to anyone who asks and believes. The account of the criminal on the cross next to Jesus shows that. But there is a good possibility that forgiveness was not sought. Perhaps he didn't believe in all that "God Stuff". How sad for him if he didn't because here is what I know:

We are all going to die and we will all be held accountable for how we chose to live our lives here on earth. God is not impressed by what type of cars, clothes, jobs, houses or any other material things we have. He is only concerned with the heart of humanity. Not perfection. That is impossible for us. But a faithful, believing heart that is inside a person who is trying to be the best that they can be to God's glory.

We are all given different lives to live. Some have money, fame, and notoriety. Some have very little and strive to make it through another day. Most of us fall in between the two. But in the end we will all face our creator and we will either hear; "Well done good and faithful one" or " You knew me not". I don't want to be on my death bed one day wondering what I will hear on the other side.

I'm stepping off my soap box now.