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
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