Steve Jobs co-founder of Apple sadly lost his battle to pancreatic cancer on October 5, 2011. He was 56 years old. He was a magnate and mastermind when it came to technology. Many doctors said if he would’ve had the operation 9 months earlier when his cancer was detected he may have lived longer, sadly he sought other ways to treat it; “he didn’t want his body to be opened.”
We may never know what he was really thinking about but he did leave a lot to ponder with his own words; “he questioned if God really existed”. The further he got into his illness the more he thought about an afterlife. I guess a person that’s facing death starts realizing the existence of a supreme being, someone who’s higher than the rest of us, who’s more intelligent than we’ll ever be, and if there is an afterlife what’s that like. Do you really get to the golden gates of heaven and if you do are you welcomed with harps and angels? It sort of sounds imaginative but movies and books portray it like that so that’s what many envision.
The stark reality is that as much as man creates and wants to solve things, he can’t help someone facing a terminal illness. And even though money is needed to make a living and people dream of winning the lotto, paying all their bills and going on vacation, money can’t help you if you’re dying. Steve Jobs was a billionaire and all the money he had wasn’t able to save him; pretty sad if you think about it.
Why do people go after fame and fortune?
They may have the need to be onstage and idolized, hear the scream of their name, the thunderous applause and walk the famous red carpet, but when you get right down to it, that’s insignificant. For someone who was so brilliant when it came to the creation of the iPhone, Steve Jobs said, “He should’ve listened to his doctors.”
If I would’ve talked to Steve Jobs I would’ve assured him there is a God not because I say so but because the scriptures do. I think at a time when people are seeking answers, you need to stop being sarcastic like many have the tendency of doing and rain on your parade. “That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.” Psalms 83:18
One day I went to visit a neighbor who was ill and tried to comfort him with my words unfortunately he was a bit obstinate and didn’t care to hear much. I had to respect the fact he was frustrated. Today I saw him sitting in the courtyard and he was waiting for a cab. I think he was going to the doctor. I didn’t even recognize him but did see his wife. When he got up he was already using a walker and looked quite frail. I saw him from a distance and felt extremely sorry for him.
It would be great if people weren’t so cold, if they wouldn’t fly off the handle so fast, if things were easier but we know that’s not a reality. It doesn’t take much to smile and offer someone a hand but we also know that’s not a reality at least with some people. I know people are searching for something better or else they wouldn’t put their hope on someone else to govern. When it comes to living and dying that’s not where it ends. Many say there’s a beginning and an end but I will never accept or believe that.
There are many people who have been masterminds in their field, who created music for all of us to enjoy, who invented things to make life easier; they didn’t just die and that’s the finale, nor were they welcomed in heaven with harps and angels. I know people believe that because that’s what they’ve been taught but if you don’t have clear cut answers to something of course you will believe what you hear. When a person dies he ceases to exist. His spirit doesn’t fly off somewhere.
All of us are familiar with the story of Adam and Eve. When Adam was created from dust “….the breath of life was blown into his nostrils and he came to be a living soul.” Genesis 2: 7
When man perishes, they’re not aware of anything, “…the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they any more have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten.” Ecclesiastes 9: 5
If you really think about it, what would people be if they didn’t have answers to questions and just lived their life haphazardly? If they didn’t have any hope? We can see the state we’re in now because people are agonizing over their condition thus they question their future.
The time will come when there will be a better government than the one many complain of. The day will arrive when everyone will live together in true peace and security. Famine will be eradicated and wars will end. Everyone will see an end to disease and they won’t have to go through operations or chemotherapy. All who have lost loved ones will one day see them again on earth. What a wonderful prospect to hold on to. The beauty is that it’s for all of us.
“Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.” John 5: 28-29
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