Several days ago Steve Jobs passed away into eternity. The accomplishments he made during his 56 years on Earth will impact generations to come in ways we have yet to realize. I must admit I am a fan of Apple products (I own an iPod, iPhone 4, and an iPad2) and have no plans to switch to another company’s products until such time as a better gadget comes along that performs as well and costs me less. Ah capitalism!
However, hyping Apple products is not the purpose of my blog this morning. There are smart people far better suited for such things. Like many, I am saddened about the loss of such a technological visionary and wonder aloud what other wonders he might have imagined given another 20 years. Alas, we are not promised tomorrow or even today! Yet for all his brilliance, Jobs did not appear to have made the single greatest discovery possible for man, his need for Jesus Christ.
“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. 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. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. … Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” — Steve Jobs Stanford University commencement address, June 2005.
Wow! Journalists now believe Jobs knew then that he had pancreatic cancer and also understood his odds of surviving long term were not good. He spent the next 6 years of his professional life putting Apple on a solid trajectory for the future. No doubt the products released by Apple for the next few years will be ones Jobs personally worked on. I believe it is a safe bet that Apple will be just fine without Jobs this time.
But what of Jobs himself? He famously said not to be trapped by dogma which he defined as living with the results of other people’s thinking. Matthew 16:26 says “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” What indeed!
Jobs was a very private man outside of his professional life. His remarks during his life would lead one to believe he was a Buddhist though one cannot be certain. What is certain is there is precious little to lead one to believe Jobs had come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. I hope his desire for privacy also concealed a love for Christ that the masses were unaware of. Those of us on the outside looking in will never know…at least not on this side of Heaven.