How valuable is life?
Sometimes we need to sit with this.
When end of life decisions had to be made for my mother-in-law, we talked. We prayed. We listened to doctors, to social workers, to those who had more information than we had. Ultimately, we made our decisions based upon the wishes she had expressed. She came home with us, and we knew that she came home to die. It was a medical decision. It was a family decision. It was her decision.
It was, and still is, a decision that causes me to ponder – sometimes to struggle.
I struggle and I ponder, because even though I believe we did what was best, LIFE IS PRECIOUS. The value of a life cannot be measured in terms of medical diagnosis, convenience (or inconvenience), or even personal desires. We muddle through our end of life decisions trusting that God will guide our choices and cover those for whom we pray.
Psalm 49:7-8
“Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,
there is no price one can give to God for it.
For the ransom of life is costly,
and can never suffice…”
These statements, made by the psalmist, were written to remind us that the riches of human beings are not enough to purchase the soul from God. Life is precious.
How does this understanding affect our daily lives? How does this affect me? Is this something I pull out only when needed – the death of a loved one, a political talking point?
How do I see my neighbors – not so much the well-to-do homeowners who live next door; but the middle aged man holding a sign on the corner, the obvious addict making a scene at the store, the children running around with nobody paying any attention? Is life still precious when it affects my own costs? If I am asked to pay a little more in taxes to ensure that a child has medical insurance, is that life still precious? What if I am asked to give up a bit of my comfort in order to share my space with someone who “isn’t quite right”? Is life still precious?
This is why I must spend time pondering the reality life. I can never purchase my life from God. I can never buy the privilege from Him of minimizing the life of another. I cannot ransom myself.
Jesus knew that life was precious. He demonstrated this through healing the sick, caring for the outcast, and ultimately paying the price for our redemption – our ransom. Jesus set aside His personal comfort, He invested His personal resources, because Jesus knew the value of life. As a Christ Follower, I must learn to do the same.
And so I ponder. Life is precious.