The news is filled with the death of Prince. Tributes pour in from celebrities, fans, and admirers. The President of the United States said, “It’s a remarkable loss.” Hour-long specials are squeezed into television schedules and the Minnesota State capitol building was lit up in purple, to honor him.
Who was this “great” American and what did he do that was so noteworthy? He was an entertainer, whose talent shot him into the world spotlight and kept him there. Though he stood only 5′ 2″ he was a giant in the music industry. He had all that money could buy, but died at 57 years old, under questionable circumstances. I don’t know his heart and I hope there was another side to him that I haven’t heard about.
This week Mr. Hobart Smith died. He was an electrician in our Embassy in Beijing, China. “He was a kind and gentle man that quietly did his work,” said one official. Hobart worked in our office recently and I got to talk with him about his work and some of his life. He had been in the military as a young man and was kind of wild. Now at 67 years old, he was working to help his grandchildren. He was a nice guy, and a lot of people will miss him. The Ambassador notified his wife and sent an e-mail to all the staff and employees, saying what a tragic loss it was to our community.
Another person recently died, but with much less news coverage. No one publicly praised her life or mourned her death. She lived in China, where the news is much more controlled. I saw a small article on the internet that described her death and there was a blurry picture of her corpse. She was a Pastor’s wife and died trying to stop the demolition of their Church. The article said she was deliberately pushed into a ditch by a bulldozer and buried alive as horrified congregants watched. The Chinese President didn’t mention her death and there were no high officials or celebrities praising her courage. She made the ultimate sacrifice, but her death barely made the news and will soon be forgotten by the world.
The deaths of each of these very different people were a great loss because they had great value. “For GOD so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). What a great price was paid that they might not perish. If they accepted that great price, it wasn’t a great loss for them. It was great gain.
Wayne Lance (2016) – That’s Good News to Share!