Michael or Jacob?

Followers of pop culture reacted in shock when the news rolled in: Michael Jackson found dead at the age of 50. Grocery store airwaves played Jackson tributes all day. Hundreds of copies of Thriller were gobbled up by consumers. Frenzied fans watched their e-mail with anticipation, hoping to receive tickets to the King of Pop's memorial. It all seemed surreal, like a clip from a Hollywood motion picture.

Yet the sadness that people are expressing over the lose of a cultural icon seems hollow, especially in light of the last decades of Michael's life. Ugly rumors and condemnations haunted the pop star's world. Who can forget the image of Jackson being escorted by police in his pajamas for accusations of child molestation? Or what about the disturbing video of him precariously dangling an infant over a balcony? These pictures are so divorced from my memories of a vivacious young man moonwalking across a concert stage.

The following questions beg to be asked: What is more important - How you begin the prime of your life or how you end it? And what will make a greater impact on others?

Let me go back several thousands of years. Jacob: Son of Isaac, Grandson of Abraham. Born grasping his twin brother Esau's heel. Uses trickery to steal Esau's birthright. Willingly enters a devious scheme with his mother to obtain his father's blessing, a blessing intended for Esau. Runs away from home for fear of his life. Works seven years for a women his doesn't love and then seven more for the woman he truly loves. Becomes trapped in the competition between his two wives and fathers numerous children -- what a mess!

However, I can't help but like the man. In the beginning of his life, he perpetrates acts of deception. And then he becomes the brunt of other people's treacherous actions, even the evil deeds of his own sons. Through it all, Jacob is on a quest to understand God and His purposes for his life. In the beginning, he prays to the God of Isaac, the God of Abraham. Eventually, he petitions the God of Jacob, the God of Israel. As a young man, he steals the blessings of others. As an old man, he blesses his children with such astounding prophetic accuracy -- what a transformation!

Thus, I repeat the questions: What is more important - How you begin the prime of your life or how you end it? What will make a greater impact on others?

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