I am not
sure why wanting to let someone else live can make some people so very
angry. I am not sure why attempts to
help the helpless survive can stir some people to protest and complain. Yesterday I left off "Your Turn" in
my blog entry, so let's do that now and let you evaluate how this subject touches
your family.
Your Turn: You cannot teach your children to value innocent
life if you do not. This does not just
include the pre-born. What about someone
who has already "lived a good life" and now needs a great deal of
assistance in old age? What about the
handicap person—whether he or she was born that way or had an experience that
caused the disability? What about the
mentally challenged? What about the
homeless?
Let's say
you do value the sanctity of life, including all of the examples above. How do you transmit that to your children? Let them see you care. Sweetly help the old lady who cannot open the
door to the grocery store because it is too heavy. Be patient with your neighbor's adult son who
has the understanding of a four-year old.
When your unmarried niece announces that she is going to have a baby,
point out to your children that, although her pregnancy does not fit God's direction
for intimate relationships inside of marriage, she made a very good choice for
not hurting the baby. Then be there to
support your niece whether she decides to raise the baby herself or to give it
up for adoption. Let them see you give
time and/or money to organizations or individuals who reach out to those who
might fall into the categories above, such as a crisis pregnancy center. Compassion in action can go a long way.
You might
think I am so full of crap that you will never read anything at Touching Families again. You may think I have not gone far enough on
this subject. Yet, you may be feeling a
little confused. Despite our desire to
have a clean, tidy world of easy decisions, real life is messy. Sometimes the desire to protect life does not
seem to have an easy answer. I
do not promise to have all the answers.
For
example, if I had conceived a baby as a result of a rape, I would find it
difficult to carry that baby term. At
the same time, it is not the baby's fault.
Just because I was the innocent victim of an assault, it does not mean I
would be guilt free if I caused a deadly assault on a different innocent victim—my
unborn baby. Basically, difficult
answers do not have to result in wrong answers.
By teaching your family how to decide on the right answer to this
difficult question, then you are also helping them create the integrity to make
the right choices through all the difficult situations that touch their lives.
If you would like
more ideas on helping your children (and yourself) develop a Biblical worldview
or to find out how to win a Wal-Mart gift card, go to the 31
Days Giveaway (Intro. Part II) post for more Touching Families blog
links. If you want to check out other 31 Days' topics, see The Nester.
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