The Sadness of Jobs' Passing

To some households Steve Jobs' passing doesn't mean much. He was just another CEO/Creator of a great product. But to our household the announcement of Jobs's passing had gravity to it. Yes, we are an Apple family, and it started years ago with my husband. Russ loved his Mac and had an Apple sticker on the back of his old Jetta to prove it. Years later our son, Luke, became an Apple addict, and has put his own Apple on the back of his first car, the Volvo. I say addict because he could never get enough, from the iPod, to the iPod Touch to the iPod Shuffle. Then it was the MacBook Pro and the iPhone. Why would we buy our 15 year old an iPhone when I still use an old out-of-date basic phone? Because we saw his passion for a product and an innovator that got his wheels turning.

Luke would want to get out of school early just to watch the latest stockholder address that was featuring a new product or some new announcement from Steve Jobs that would wow the country, and the world. He would sit for hours to watch the entire meeting, regardless of how long or boring it was.

Luke has said for the past year or so, that he wants to be the CEO of Apple some day. I'm not sure he'll feel that way in 8 years, but you never know. So as we reflect on a great innovator and leader and as we read about this "Secular Prophet" I can't help but think about what Steve Jobs left behind, and more importantly what he won't be taking with him.

I pray that Luke will do great things with the gifts God has given him, but I pray more earnestly that he will do great things for the Kingdom of God. That is something Luke will take with him when his time comes. Is there a better way to live...or, more importantly, to die?