Roe Says No to Roe v. Wade
Not just life, but Eternal Life wins!
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28).
Life Is Valuable
Like many parents, Sharon and I would read books to our daughters when they were little. Amanda had her favorite series, though they changed from season to season. Among those series were books by Theodore Geisel. Theodore started with a dream – a dream of writing children’s books. Unfortunately, no fewer than 21 publishers rejected his work. No one wanted to take a chance on the unique, almost wacky stories and illustrations of an unknown author.
Finally, a friend conceded and gave Geisel a try, publishing his work under the assumed name of Dr. Seuss. Today, his classic books have sold in the millions. Dr. Seuss has an uncanny way of making you smile. His stories encourage you and cause you to realize your unique value. Consider the following from one of my favorite Dr. Seuss creations, Happy Birthday to You!
If you’d never been born, well then what would you be?
You might be a fish! Or a toad in a tree!
Or worse than all that….Why, you might be a WASN’T!
A WASN’T has no fun at all. No, he doesn’t.
A WASN’T just isn’t. He just isn’t present.
But you…You ARE YOU! And, now isn’t that pleasant!
Today, you are you! That is truer than true!
There is no one alive who is you-er than you!
Shout loud, “I am lucky to be what I am!
Thank goodness. I’m not just a clam or a ham
Or, a dusty old jar of sour gooseberry jam!
I am what I am! That’s a great thing to be!
If I say so myself, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!”
You were made with a purpose. You are valuable to the one who created you, for you were made in His image. Value life, for it is God’s gift to you.
"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed" (Psalm 139:14-16).
If only I knew
Imagine yourself as a successful worker thriving in a large accounting firm. You are only fifty years old and still have many things you want to achieve and experience for the rest of your life, including an exciting retirement plan.
But one day, the doctor tells you that you have an inoperable brain cancer and are given only 100 days to live.
For a man named Eugene O’Kelly,* what you just imagined was a reality in his life.
His life story is told in his book titled Chasing Daylight.
On May 24, 2005, Eugene received the devastating news that shattered his life plans.
Upon learning the seriousness of his illness, he did what he was trained to do as an accountant – he made a list:
- Resign from my job.
- Choose medical treatments that allow me to...
- Make the most of the remaining time for those most affected by my condition.
Eugene even made a to-do list for his final days:
- Settle legal and financial matters
- Open up relationships,
- Simplify
- Live for today
- Create joyful moments
- Begin transitioning to the next phase
- Plan the funeral
- Stay positive until the end.
In Scripture, there was a King of Israel who also experienced a similar situation. He knew exactly how long he had left to live in this world. In 2 Kings 20:1-11 we read that King Hezekiah became gravely ill (verse 1), but when he prayed to God, asking for His mercy, God extended hiss life by 15 years (verse 6).
But King Hezekiah didn't initially take full advantage of the remaining time granted to him. In 2 Chronicles 32:24-33 we read that He was first overtaken by pride (verse 25), derailing him from productive and positive use of his remaining time.
*Eugene O'Kelly was a former Chairman and CEO of KPMG, one of the largest U. S. accounting and consulting firms and one of the Big Four auditors. Eugene was elected chairman and CEO of KPMG in 2002 for a term of six years. In May 2005, at age 53, Eugene was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor.
Fortunately, Hezekiah soon turned away from his pride and began doing good for Israel, making good use of the remaining years of his life. He started by building storehouses (verses 27-28), establishing new cities (verse 29), and constructing water reservoirs for the land of Israel (verse 30).
For most of us, it's is true that we will never know when our end will come. But one thing we can definitively know ... One thing we should know is that we will not be here in this world forever.
Our lives are finite.
May I invite all of us today to imagine the experience of Eugene, who had only 100 days left to live, Just imagine, what you do with those remaining 100 days in your daily life.
Make a list, set priorities. Then live that list out, over and over again, until you actually come to the end of your days. Don't be a Hezekiah, wasting even a single moment of your time. Be a Eugene! And like Eugene, remember to "Stay positive until the end!"
And may we pray with Moses, Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”