Precious Life

 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

     Genesis 1:26-27 (NKJV)

Human life is precious to God.  Out of all His creation, He formed us in His image.  But the world devalues human life by promoting abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide, by marginalizing the elderly, sick and disabled.  But what about those with what some consider “defects,” such as babies with Downs Syndrome or adults with congenital conditions?  This was an issue even in Jesus’ day and He affirms God’s love and purpose for them.

 1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.

2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

     John 9:1-3 (NKJV)

Jesus explains that the important thing is not how these conditions came about but to trust in the sovereignty of God.  He assures the disciples that God has a good purpose for permitting such things.  For reasons that we don’t understand, God uses sickness, disease and deformities so that His works would be revealed. God created all human life to glorify Him. If we miss that, we miss the entire aim of God’s creation.

Every person—including the born and the unborn, the elderly and the disabled, the orphan and the widow—is cherished in God’s eyes.  By showing love and compassion to those with vulnerabilities, we manifest God’s glory. By protecting and caring for those who are the “least” among us, we honor God.  By affirming and supporting the precious gift of every life, we align ourselves with God’s heart.

Choose Life, a song by the Hyssongs.