A Relationship That Money Cannot Buy

Thinking back to yesterday's post about creativity, I think you'd be blessed to check out Mike Cope's blog (Sept. 12) where he quotes Darrell Tippens on the arts and how it connects us with our relationship with God.

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I read this sad story on Foxnews.com Monday :

"The 20-year-old son of Anna Nicole Smith has been found dead in the Bahamas, where the former reality TV star and Playboy playmate gave birth to a baby girl days earlier."

Apparently her son, Daniel, had flown to the Bahamas to meet his new baby sister. While sitting in the hospital room he just died and they're not sure why. I couldn't imagine the emotional turmoil this woman is going through, caught in the see-saw of rejoicing in the birth a a baby girl and grieving the sudden loss of her son.

Of course, what Anna Nicole is most famous for is her brief marriage to Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II in 1994. She 26 and he was 89. He died the next year. After her husband's death, Anna fought with one of his sons, Pierce Marshall, over her entitlement to the Marshall's s estate.

The article said, "In the long-running dispute, Smith had won a $474 million judgment, which was later cut to about $89 million and eventually reduced to zero. Pierce Marshall died in June at age 67 from an undisclosed infection."

What really jumped out at me about this story was how both Anna and Pierce fought so hard and long to get their hands on J. Howard's millions. Eventually she gets none of it, Pierce dies and now Anna loses her only son. And who got all of Marshall's money? I'm not sure. But I would guess that the attorneys got a bunch of it.

It's awful what greed can do to a human soul. None of us are exempt from its pull. When I sense the tenacles of coveting and greed wrapping around my heart, the words of Jesus often come to mind: "Be on guard against all types of greed." I need that wake-up call from the Lord to deliver me from this sinful tendency of craving money or things.

And I also need the reminder that money can be so fleeting and cannot compare at all to the two main things Jesus calls us to: to love God with all our heart, mind and strength...and to love our neighbor as ourself.

I pray for Anna Nicole, that this tragedy will cause her to turn to the One who can truly fill her grief-stricken soul. And find a relationship that money cannot buy... and that will last forever.

Jim