Assignment 4

Lessons I Learned From Steve Jobs Commencement Address.

         I didn't realize how inspiring the life of Steve Jobs was. Based on what I have read, I never imagined how a dropout student became a successful man in the future. His commencement address is truly a very remarkable speech and inspires me more to reach my goals in life. His words are truly convincing and precisely accurate and true. His wisdom is really deep and he has his own principles in life. What I like about him is his desire to grasp what his heart truly loves. He is a type of a person that has a deep love and happiness on what he is doing. Anyway, I would like to share the lessons I’ve learned from Steve Jobs Commencement address into three words. These words are Love, Faith, and Fear:


1. Love - “You’ve got to find what you love.”

        There are so many definitions of love. Doctor John Gray defines love as a feeling directed at someone which acknowledges their goodness. The Bible says Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.

         I first heard the word “LOVE” from my parents. But I have heard the same word uttered by my parents to our dog, “I love you puppy”. This poses me a question, “am I in the same category as our dog?” but my answer is definitely “NOT”. Love is an abstract word. We could give different meaning base on a subjective emotional feeling. Each person uses the word “LOVE” in different ways for different purposes. For example, we believe that loving our parents is different from loving our boyfriends or girlfriends. We even use the word “LOVE” for our courses, job, cars, shoes, or anything. We cannot invent any word to replace the word “LOVE” for each of these instances.

         The meaning behind the word “LOVE” matters most. We equate love to magic or mystery that we usually categorize and classify it in a way that is hard to fully understand. We really need to understand the word “LOVE” otherwise it will only be just a neutral word. More than being understood, love can easily be lived as a way of life.

         Jobs says, “You’ve got to find what you love.” I do strongly agree with his words. Love is a very personal feeling that every person can have a taste of. Each experience of love is unique and it is indeed part of our own life. No one can claim our experience of love, except ourselves.

        As far as I could remember, I first used the word love during my high school days, wherein our teacher instructs us to write all the things that we love in a sheet of a paper. I wrote there “I love my family”, “I love my friends”, “I love playing the guitar”, “I love to draw”, and many more. Recalling those things which I wrote during that time made me ask myself “does my love for these things are for real or I just wrote them for the sake of my grades?”

        To tell you the truth, all my life I’ve been searching for that one true love that could fill up all my emptiness. Believe me or not, I’ve found the word “LOVE” in this three letter word “GOD”. Yes, God. We Christians believe in a God of Love. We believe that God has proved His love towards man through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who suffered upon the cross as a propitiation for our sins. Truly, to sacrifice your own life for the sake of others is a proof of love. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." It is through Jesus, that the love of the Father was revealed. I do believe that My God died for my sins. This kind of love really touches my heart.

         Many people may not appreciate it because they haven’t experience it yet. Believe me or not, this kind of love gives me a reason to continue my life, to love myself more, my family, friends and even the surroundings. Some people may call me a God freak but it is indeed how I found the true essence of the word LOVE in my life. For God is my greatest encounter of true love.


2. Faith - “Don’t lose faith.”

           Job says, “Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did”. What Jobs’ actually saying is, “believe in yourself”. If you love what you are doing, then go for it. If we have faith on ourselves, we gain more confidence.

           What does the word Faith actually means? The Bible says “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” As a Christian, I do strongly believe that there is a God existing somewhere out there. I do believe not because someone told me, but because of my own personal experience of his love. I don’t really have faith in myself but it is through God that I can now have the full trust and assurance to live my life in happiness. I give all my trust and love unto Him. I acknowledge unto myself that without Him, I am nothing.

           Many people don’t actually believe in the existence of an Eternal God. They base their beliefs on facts and science only. They live their life in a “To see is to believe” principle. But God principle is remarkably different unto them. Gods principle is “Believe, and you will see”. As for me, my faith in God will be my strong foundation to walk unto the path of righteousness. My trust lies in Him alone.


3. Fear - “Fear of embarrassment or failure will just fall away in the face of death.”

         Death is constant. We cannot skip death and is always present any time. Jobs says, “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.” Which is actually true.

        We Christians don’t actually live our life with fear of death or in hell. Yes, I admit that I do have so many fears before. But now, there is only one left. And that is my fear of the Lord and nothing else shall I fear of.




Reference: http://www.celebratelove.com/whatislove.htm