Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center, Saturday, Aug. 10. At approximately 6:30 a.m., Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire financier, and a convicted sex offender is found dead in his jail cell. According to NBC News, Epstein hanged himself at some point overnight and was taken to a local hospital for treatment and subsequently pronounced dead. News of the high-profile financier’s death filled the front-page of media outlets from all over the world, while details of his sordid life surfaced.
Earlier in the summer, Epstein was arrested at a New Jersey airport on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. According to the Southern District of New York’s indictment, “over the course of many years, Jeffrey Epstein, the defendant, sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls at his homes in Manhattan, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida, among other locations.” The details revealed in the indictment are indeed startling.
On April 14, only four days after his death, a news outlet’s headline caught my attention: “‘Orgy Island’ to airplanes, Epstein’s assets are up for grabs.” The article describes the millionaire’s extensive estate and speculates what might happen to his fortune. The description of each asset included the rumors concerning the illegal, immoral activities that were held within their walls: the 75-acre Little St. James island located in the U.S. Virgin Islands, listed as worth $63.8 million; a second island valued at $22.5 million; a luxe Beaux-Arts mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side valued at $56 million; a 10,000-acre property in New Mexico with a 27,000-square-foot mansion and airport hangar has a price tag of $17.2 million; his Palm Beach home is valued at $12.4 million; and his Parisian apartment neighboring the Arc de Triomphe is listed at $8.7 million. According to investigators, the list is much longer and includes airplanes and other assets that are not mentioned in court documents.
Epstein lived on top of the world. And now, everything he loved and invested in is left behind. His estate will be squandered. Countless lawsuits and tax agencies are likely to take hold of his fortune. Everything he invested in was either left behind or caused pain to the lives he exploited. He may have left an incredible monetary legacy, but his life legacy will forever be marked by the darkness that followed his path.
In 2013, I left a corporate career to stay at home with our two daughters, who were 11 and 7 at the time. It was a decision made through much prayer and positively trembling knees. My husband and I counted on both our incomes to provide for our family; therefore, we knew that the new life would involve great financial sacrifices. Moved by firm conviction, we took one of the most significant steps of faith in our lives and never looked back.
During the past six years, our monetary legacy may not have grown much, but the priceless heritage of time invested in our children’s lives has paid high dividends. I’ve been there for the heartaches and victories, booboos and laughter. I have shared life lessons and given emotional support and spiritual guidance. I have watched my teenager make incredibly mature decisions on her own and have been able to guide her during a time of identity crisis. Although my retirement portfolio is undoubtedly not as fat as it would have been if I had stayed the course of a corporate career, God has provided for all our needs … and many of our wants.
Jeffrey Epstein’s heart was anchored on temporary things. He valued pleasure above people and money above value. His heart was rooted in this world, and it seems like he lived without thinking of the day he would face his maker. His death and exposed life indeed present an invaluable lesson to the spectator.
At the end of our lives, what will our legacy be? Are we gathering incommensurable assets and experiencing unrestricted pleasures on Earth as Epstein did, and yet, neglecting eternal treasures? For if we make significant investments in careers, pile up stocks and bonds, but give little attention to the real riches in life — the people we love — we die a poor man or woman. Just as Jeffrey Epstein did.
“Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus Christ, the gospel of Matthew.
Patricia Holbrook is a columnist, author, blogger and international speaker. Visit her website www.soaringwithHim.com. For speaking engagements and comments, email pholbrook@soaringwithHim.com.
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