The Value Of Life

THE VALUE OF LIFE

By Pastor Jim May

Life is a precious thing. All too often we take it for granted, especially when things are going well, or when we are young. We never give a thought to death and the things of eternity. It isn’t until we start getting a little older and whole lot wiser, that we begin to realize just how valuable and how fragile life can be.

Right now there is a battle going on in our nation, and the outcome of that battle could very well set the stage for our congress to determine who, and who is not, worth saving in the event of a prolonged illness. It can also set the stage for determining who will receive treatment, and what kind of treatment they will be allowed, in the event of a terminal illness.

It seems that the value of life has grown cheap in our country today. There was a time when no one in America would have placed a price on life, but those days are over now. The number one determining factor in whether to preserve life or allow it to die, is the cost of medication and treatment. Sad to say, most of us would not be worth saving for very long if we were to go on the opinion of the medical insurance companies.

From the very young, even the unborn, to the very old, we have begun to place a price tag on life and found the price tag just a little too high.

Those who have no power to defend themselves are the first to be killed. According the National Right to Life Organization, there have been more than 40 million abortions in the 26 years since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized unrestricted abortion on January 22, 1973.

Right now there is a very real problem that our nation is trying to deal with and that’s the impending bankruptcy of the Social Security System in the United States. According to experts, in the year 2018 Social Security will start paying out more in benefits than it collects in payroll taxes. In 2042, it will be able to cover only about 73% of benefits owed, unless changes are made. Current retirees and those nearing retirement will be safe for now, but there will be nothing left for our children and grandchildren without a major overhaul of the system and the way it is managed.

Why do you suppose that there is not enough payroll tax collected to cover Social Security? A large part of the reason is that we have killed over 40 million people who could have held jobs and paid payroll taxes. Killing of the unborn has paid a large part in bringing us to this point in our economy.

The irony of it is this. If we were to take age 25 years old as being the average age of those who voted for, fought for and supported Abortion Rights in 1973 when the law was passed; and project that into the future, to the year 2018; those same people who voted in abortion will be ready to retire or just retired at age 70, and that’s when the system will go bankrupt. In effect, they have cancelled their own retirement.

First it was the unborn who were counted as unworthy to live. Then came the elderly and terminally diseased because of the high cost of medicine and doctors. Insurance companies, trying to keep their heads above water financially, began to determine who would, and who would not, survive by refusing to cover some of the treatments necessary.

Now we see that our courts are deciding that those who are infirm, un-useful, and unable to defend or speak their own opinions are being targeted, such as in the case of Terri Schaivo down in Florida right now. She is being allowed to starve to death for the reason of expediency, medical costs and her apparent inability to improve in her health.

Now I’m not going to pass judgment upon anyone who decided to allow machines to keep them alive or to pull the plug. That’s a choice between you, your family and the Lord. It would be hard decision to allow someone to die if there was even a glimmer of hope. But none of us, I think, would want to watch a loved one linger at death’s door for years, kept alive only by machines. I for one, wouldn’t want to put my family though that.

But at what point do we give up? At what point do we say, “that’s enough”? That’s the hard part – knowing when to say enough is enough.

For Christians, who believe in the power of God to heal; who believe that God can perform miracles; and who believe in the absolute sanctity of life, the choice must be made based upon God’s Word and not upon emotions or personal desires. Any such decisions have to be made with the will of God as the number one goal.