What is Important

…death is the destiny of every man.

Ecclesiastes 7:2

I woke this morning to the news that Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer, had died.  His death was not a total surprise, as he has been battling severe illness for years.  A more determined man rarely walked this earth, however, and he only resigned his active leadership of the company six weeks ago.  Jobs was a man of great creativity and vision – seeing clearly far beyond his own time, always looking to technology’s future.

In the commencement address to the graduating class of Stanford University in 2005, Jobs made this insightful observance:

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life," he said. "Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."

You and I may not be facing the imminence of our death this morning, but I hope we have the same clarity of vision about what is truly important in this life.  Money, ambition, power, pride – all are truly worthless in the eternal scheme of life.  Relationships are what life is all about – with friends, with family, and with our God. 

Salesmen

A false witness will not go unpunished,

And he who pours out lies will not go free.

Proverbs 19:5

When I first purchased my house, one of the rooms that was going to have to be dealt with sooner or later was the main bathroom.  The problem is not so much the fact that it is dated – although that certainly is a factor.  The trouble is with the previous workmanship.  Obviously the previous owner did everything himself, and the quality of his work is shoddy at best.  Yesterday, in trying yet again to clean the white ceramic wall tile, something began to peel off one of the tiles, and I discovered that he had painted two entire sections with latex paint!  It took me most of the day to remove it.

Today is estimates day.  I have already had one salesman come in, and am waiting for the second one to appear.  I must say, I absolutely hate to deal with salesmen.  They are so self-assured, they talk non-stop, they throw hundreds of facts at you, and then unbelievably high figures.  When I decided to insulate the attic, I had one gentleman (using the word loosely) who quoted me such an outlandish price for my little house, I felt like throwing him out on his ear!  I have been gushed over, lied to, and even had my share of poor quality work after high promises. 

I have a very difficult time with people whose integrity is an ever-shifting commodity. Lies and deception are so commonplace in today’s society, one can be deceived so very easily. Discovering who is telling the truth and who is just handing out a line becomes a matter of research and lots of prayer for God’s guidance.  It is also a lesson for me on the absolute importance of being transparent in my dealings with others.  My integrity is who I am, and to compromise that is to court disaster.       

Curiosity Killed the Cat

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the

wild animals the Lord God had made.  He said to the woman:

“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”

Genesis 3:1

I live with two female cats, George and Sapphire.  George is a very large lap cat.  Sapphire, on the other hand, is small, wiry, determined, and beyond curious.  She has learned that certain doors will open if she puts her paw under them and lifts up.  If there is a closed door in the house, she just has to get in there some how to see what she is missing. 

The closet door in my guest room does not latch well, so I have piled an ever-increasing number of  boxes in front of it to keep it shut.  During the night or while I am at work, Sapphire prods and pokes and paws and pushes until she gets the boxes far enough away that she can open the door .  The other morning, I noticed the closet door ajar, so I firmly shut it and pushed the boxes back in front.  When I got home from work, only Sapphire met me at the door.  When I set out their evening food, only Sapphire was there to eat.  I went from room to room, calling for George, to no avail.  As I passed the guest room, I remembered the morning’s closet door.  Sure enough, when I opened it, a slightly dazed George came tumbling out.

The third chapter of Genesis does not tell us how Eve came to be talking to the serpent in the first place.  Why was she even anywhere near the forbidden tree?  Curious?  No doubt.  Surely it wouldn’t hurt to just take a peek.  Surely it wouldn’t make any difference if she walked a little closer.  Surely it wouldn’t matter if she wanted to see the beautiful snake.  But it did matter, and Eve’s curiosity led to her disobey God’s direct command, and Adam followed right behind her. 

God does not lay down rules to be arbitrary, or to spoil our fun.  He is our Creator, and He knows what is necessary in order for us to live life to the fullest.  I don’t know if Sapphire will ever learn to trust my judgment on closed closet doors, but I hope that I am willing to trust God’s will and purpose for my life.