Blog Jesus Values Each Life—Do I?
Our society has gone from valuing the individual to valuing what each individual can contribute. The further our culture moves away from its Judeo-Christian foundation, the more it tends to devalue human life.
After all, as evolutionists point out, we are merely the product of evolutionary processes with little or no intrinsic value. Some even question whether a human is of more value than a horse or a cow or an endangered tree.
But this nation, and this people, was founded on the belief that we do matter; that God created a world in which every human life has meaning, and each person, regardless of size, age, or physical abilities, has the right to be alive and free.
Over the last couple of decades, human life has become more and more expendable. The news media has reported stories of parents killing their own handicapped children instead of loving and caring for them as long as they live. Others have taken the life of another when they considered the person to be suffering too much. Still others have taken their own life when they could not face life without all their abilities. Life itself seems to be of little value.
What would have happened if these people had given up or society decided they weren’t worth keeping alive and decided for them?
A husband and wife with serious health problems are expecting another child, yet three of their four children also have serious health problems. Today, many would have suggested abortion for this latest pregnancy. But, if that baby had been aborted, generations would never have been inspired by the music of composer Ludwig von Beethoven.
What about a poor, thirteen-year-old black child carrying the product of rape? Surely, this baby should be aborted. What possible future would there be for this child? The future was Ethel Waters who inspired millions by her story, her acting and her blues and gospel music, which included “Stormy Weather” and “His Eye is on the Sparrow.”
Polio paralyzed Walt Davis when he was nine years old. If his parents had decided his “quality of life” meant they should let him die, he never would have become the Olympic high jump champion in 1952, inspiring many.
Often, it is those who have risen above almost insurmountable odds that give us the greatest encouragement and provide motivation to live life to the fullest.
Often it is someone who cares about another with a disability that has led to scientific breakthroughs that end up benefiting any number of people.
Only a people that cares and protects the most vulnerable citizens, will continue to grow because they understand the fundamental truth of being a human—compassion.
Each person is unique and special and should be treated with dignity and worth--regardless of age, location, or health. It is time we stop playing God and realize we don’t know what the future holds for any one of us. It is time we protect the most vulnerable among us by, once more, valuing each human life.
Easter is all about the intrinsic value of life. Jesus believed each of us is so valuable that He came to earth, lived, allowed Himself to be tortured and murdered for us, and rose again to offer us new life. What a different perspective faith in Jesus offers. How can we not follow the One who created and loved us so much He died for you and me?
Happy Easter!
© 2003, 2020 Carolyn R. Scheidies
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