Value Life, Value Children

Life. We sometimes take it for granted. Some waste it, others embrace it. It's that time period in which we have to figure everything out. We understand it is limited but don't always value it. And each person's counts.

I'm writing out of a broken heart this week. I've been bombarded the last few weeks (and really a lot longer) about the value and purpose of our lives. What am I supposed to do with my life? For whom do I live it? How long does it last? Will it matter to someone in the end? What are my rights? How is mine like everyone else's? How is it different?

But with all the craziness in our nation, there's one thing I think a lot of people don't value: life. Theirs or another's. Don't believe me?

"In Ramah a voice is heard crying and weeping loudly. Rachel mourns for her children and refuses to be comforted because they are dead..." Jeremiah 31:15

I recently read a report about one fair-sized Midwest community. One in 5 of the children living in this community are in poverty. That's roughly 12,000 kiddos in this one city. One in 3 of the homeless people in this place are kids. That means they have no one caring for them, they sleep in cars or wherever they can find, and probably don't eat every day. About 400,000 children in the US are in the foster care system, some more than 5 years. Almost 60,000 of that number have had their biological parental rights terminated and many of those kids spend over 2 years waiting to be adopted. Ten percent of foster children age-out of the system, and never really find a solid home. In addition, there are well over a million abortions PER YEAR in the states, the highest of any western nation. And those are the ones we know about. Yes, abortion at any stage is murder. The murder of precious life.

"A hunter traps a bird and puts them in a cage, but some of you trap humans and make them your slaves." Jeremiah 5:26

"In Gilead they ripped open pregnant women..." Amos 1:13

We could read statistics all day about these sad and tragic things. That's not the point. The reason I don't think we as a nation truly value the precious fragility and beauty of life is because we don't value our children. Kids are abandoned on the subway, forgotten in a hot care, driven into the ocean by their mom in a minivan, beaten, abused,trafficked, and aborted.

The thing is, children represent new life. They represent hope. They show we value our future. They convey our desire to love.

"Stop doing wrong and learn to live right. See that justice is done. Defend widows and orphans and help those in need." Isaiah 1:16-17

We need to fight for life. For ours and these children. When we take a good hard look at those around us, we are able to look into their lives and see the world from another perspective. Go spend a week in another country, you'll appreciate the differences. Serve your community in a different neighborhood, you'll notice another's struggles. Give a child in need your attention, you'll see true joy. How can we make a difference? By showing love and giving value to those kiddos in your life, ones you meet in the grocery stores, and pregnant women. And by trusting in God's power. Please join me in praying for children and seeking ways to rescue the born and unborn little ones.

"...But I, The Lord, say to dry your tears. Someday your children will come home from the enemy's land. Then all you have done for them will be greatly rewarded. So don't lose hope. I, The Lord, have spoken." Jeremiah 31:16

My Battle with Criticism

Lately, I've been getting a lesson on criticism. No, not how I'm being critiqued, not how best to provide the constructive kind...I'm talking about the deep-seeded, comes from the darkness of my heart, kind. Man-oh-man can I dish it out. Of course, I'm sure we are all guilty of the kind where we walk through the mall and make comments about her bouffant hair, his goofy swagger, their PDA. I'm as guilty as anyone else. But lately, God is showing me how incredibly talented I am at critiquing others. And that's not something I'm proud of.

I'm a first born child, a strong-willed, independent, educated, perfectionist. I've also got this nasty sin that lurks in the untamed corners of my heart, and a large mass of this cancerous stuff shows itself as unfavorable judgement. I think I KNOW things. I feel like I've got ALL the solutions. My mind wants to pretend I have it all figured out. And so my selfish heart evaluates others, from their hair, to the way they live their life, to the very fashion in which they worship God.

"You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about." Ephesians 2:8

Enter God. He's kind of smacking me in the face with this one.

WHO AM I to dish this crap out? If I was perfect, then I could rant and rave all I wanted. But I struggle with stuff all day long and here I am being critical others on their own issues, both good and bad.

I believe the root of this issue in my heart are several things: I forget how much of a sinner I was. That amazing gift of grace and mercy and love poured out in Jesus makes me acceptable to God, and somehow, it gets lost in the back of my mind. Secondly, I don't TRULY think about or love others. People are no different from me--I'm a "people" too. All these other humans that irk me, that I criticize, come from hurts, brokenness, trials, and temptations. Many of them are doing the best they can with what they have. Many of them are fighting battles harder than I can even imagine. Many of them are working to be themselves in a world that really doesn't want you to do that. These are humans, and sometimes I forget that.

"Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting." 1 Corinthians 13:7

Our God is a God of grace. He's a personal God who gets to the heart of his people. Jesus met people's deepest needs and healed, REALLY HEALED them. Those that he could have called out and made cower before his perfection, he loved and served and died for. And it didn't matter who they were: prostitutes, IRS agents, drug addicts, obnoxious people, frustrating people--they all received Jesus' love and mercy. God wants to build up, grow, cultivate, tend, mend, fix, love. We see that from cover to cover in the Bible.

"We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things." Hebrews 10:24

"Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up" 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those that hear." Ephesians 4:29

So why do I think I should criticize, critique, evaluate, cut down, belittle? How is it Christ-like that I should get in the way of someone's journey to or with Jesus with my words? I want to reflect Christ in every way, no matter who is listening. I pray that I can edify, help, support, love, and provide grace to other humans on this rough journey of life. I beg God to be patient with me and provide me with the wisdom and self-control to manage this untamed tongue on mine so that it heals rather than hurts.

This is a tough lesson to learn and kind of icky to write about. I'm sure some people are shocked to read this, and others who aren't surprised. But my prayer is that through God's wisdom in his word, we might be able to be a church of life and growth. Love you all.