On June 25, both Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett died. The entertainer’s unexpected death overshadowed Fawcett’s passing at 62 after a long, public battle with cancer.
Bob WeathersBut in November, Fawcett held the headlines when RadarOnline revealed the contents of her last will and testament. She bequeathed large amounts of money to various individuals, but most of her fortune, $4.5 million, went to her son, Redmond. That was not surprising. What captured the attention of the media, however, was not so much who her will included, but who it omitted. Longtime lover Ryan O’Neal was notably absent.
Clearly, we disagree with the immoral relationship Fawcett and O’Neal shared. But with that said, we can also sympathize with O’Neal for having been left out of her will. That’s tough. What precipitated this insult? What was she thinking? Who knows. But deep inside we all feel bad for O’Neal and we think, if only briefly, we sure hope that doesn’t happen to us.
Omitted from the will, that is. Left out. No inheritance. And it’s not so much because we want a fortune, but because we want to be remembered. We don’t want to be selfish. We just want to know that we are loved with the kind of love that surpasses life and death and that extends beyond the grave. It’s like one last hug when our beloved is gone. It identifies us as loved, and, in most cases, as family. We feel sad if we have no such inheritance and angry if we should have received something but are omitted from it.
But an earthly inheritance is merely a reflection of the absolute and eternal inheritance that we have in Christ. When you accepted Christ, one of the first acts of God was to secure your inheritance, to remind you that you are family, and that he is your Father, for time and for eternity.
As children of God, we are heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). We are bound together in one body by his Spirit and made heirs together of his promises (Ephesians 3:6). So never mind the material fortune you missed on earth. God has prepared for you the spiritual blessings you have in Christ. You are planned for and provided for. You are remembered.
Merry Christmas.