Valuing Life

Over the past year I have shared frequently about my dear friend, Susanna,

and her family's calling to adopt Katerina from an orphanage in Bulgaria.

We have seen, heard and learned about the differences when people choose to 

value life or disregard it.

Check out the differences on the 

sidebar of a devalued Katerina and then really look at the joy in the eyes of 

a loved, respected and highly valued child.

There are many, many photos of a changing and thriving Katerina throughout

the posts here.  Also to be found are photos of children still waiting 

to find the joy of being in a loving home.

To be treasured.

 

In a culture such as ours the tradition has been to value life.

To recognize all life as God given and to treat all with dignity and respect.

I have to say that with the advent of abortion and a leaning toward

premature deaths for the ill and elderly we have crossed to 

 a very dangerous path in which we make

a judgement of which lives have value even here, in our own country.

We have heard, within our own borders, 

that there is a cure for Down Syndrome....

"abortion".

Not my words!

This week some dear friends of ours have experienced a gut wrenching event.

They were expecting their sixth baby.

At B's 18th week check up it was discovered that the baby had died in 

her womb.  She called J and told him and they have been processing their loss

ever since.  B went through the labor and delivery process knowing that

she was going to deliver a stillborn child.

The doctor offered her a faster, more clinical way at another facility.

What he offered was not available at their hospital.

They declined.

Choosing, instead, to dedicate the time and effort to 

delivering this baby in as natural and least destructive way as possible.

Today, we will gather at a church cemetery. 

We will bring the beginning of healing to a family who 

lost something of much worth to them.

To all of them.

To all of us.

 

I called their house this week and their oldest son, 

still a child himself, asked me if I knew that "our baby died"?

Their young daughter has treasured a memory box 

given to them by the hospital.

She, too, was looking forward to the safe delivery of 

a precious brother or sister.  

Honestly, the boys were hoping to even up the family a

bit...they have three sisters and another brother would

have made it three and three.

The Psalmist made it very clear that God knows each and 

every human being before they are even conceived.

He sets our DNA in place and causes life to happen.

Psalm 139 (NIV)

  For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
 My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.
 How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
   How vast is the sum of them! 

Because of this I must value life.

Whether that life happens to be in its mother's womb

or a child that some would say has no value due to mental or 

physical conditions.

Once we begin judging that this one or that one shouldn't 

live because of one reason or another it is only a matter of time

before our imperfections are cause for question as to our value.

I don't want someone in my final days deciding that my quality of life is 

not worth the effort of allowing me life.

Only God has the right to make that choice.

I'm not advocating unnatural methods of keeping us alive 

at all costs...

but am strongly opposed to any method of premature ending of life.

Whew!  This is deep for a Saturday....

but it is on my heart.

Thanks for reading.