Well, we all know the story. Michael Jackson passed away at only 50. This is a guy everyone loved in the 80's. You couldn't go anywhere without seeing his t-shirts, stickers, albums, and even toys. He was selling Pepsi, making guest appearances on sitcoms, and of course his 20 minute video "Thriller" that aired on NBC during prime time. I was in 1st grade at the time, my parents wouldn't let me watch it because they thought it would scare me.
Fast forward 30 years (wow, feeling old right now). It's guesstimated that MJ was around $500 million (half a billion) in debt. A friend of mine Joey sent me a link to a virtual tour of his game room. It would make a lot of local arcade owners jealous, every classic arcade game you could think of along with Star Wars and comic book memorabilia. It was crazy how much stuff he had in there! The only problem was that you could see none of the games were turned on. Some were even unplugged. It was more of a warehouse rather than a used and loved game room.
MJ had enough money that he could buy anything he wanted. He had the level of fame where Disneyland would close down just for him. He had what so many of us dream about sometimes, fame and fortune, the answer to all of our problems. However, it didn't answer any of his. Despite owning his own music as well as the Beatles' catalogue, he was deep in debt. Despite his global popularity, he was isolated and lonely. It's really sad when you think about it.
It's been said that he wanted to be Peter Pan, a boy who never grew old and lived in Neverland, where he could have everything he wanted for eternity. Looking at his game room, his theme park, even his plastic surgery, it dawned on me that MJ was trying to create eternal life here in this world. With all of his resources, he still came up woefully short. He was looking in the wrong place.
I don't have millions of dollars and Disneyworld won't close down just for me, I'm just a regular guy living a regular life. However, I've invested in an eternal life that is after this existence. One day, just like MJ, I'll be gone. I have no idea when that day will be, it could be today or it could be 50 years from now. That's why I've made the decision to live my life the way God intended, or at least trying my best to. I'm not perfect, no one is. God knows this and that's why He offers us forgiveness when we mess up. By living according to His plan and enjoying what we've been blessed with instead of chasing after the wind trying to buy our happiness, we can find the "Neverland" that MJ was searching so desperately for.
It's fun to buy stuff and there is nothing wrong with trying to achieve more in life. However, just remember that this is all temporary. Why wish you had more of something that you're going to just leave behind anyway? Enjoy each moment on Earth, be grateful for everything you have, no matter how meager, and focus on living for the next life because that one will last forever.
