Terri's Death

I wonder what effect Terri's death will have on our culture. I wonder how it will change living wills and the way our country views life. As I watched the videos of Terri, I couldn't help but think of the countless children and young people who suffer from serious brain damage. These kids have always been that way, and their parents have always cared for them - so we don't hear a lot about them. The real question that Terri's case has brought up, and the reason it so closely mirrors the abortion issues, is "What is the value of life?"

Are we valuable because of what we do or experience, or simply because we are? As Christians, we know where our true value comes from. But as we talk to an unbelieving world about Christ - the value of life is an important question to consider. It's one of those foundational issues - that we are valuable to God - so much so He was willing to die that we might be saved. If we are not innately valuable, then our worth comes from where? What we do? How many driven Pharisees believe they can earn their way to heaven by their good works. How many times have I heard my own father say, "As long as the good that I do outweighs the bad that I do, then I'll be okay." The problem is that the Bible says that all of us will fall short.

I don't know about you, but today, I'm awfully glad that I am sure of my own value. That I don't need to struggle and fight to try to earn favor from God. I already have it, and so do you. Maybe if our culture would be willing and able to see the innate value of their own lives, they'd be more willing to see the innate value in someone else's. And they wouldn't be so quick to cast it aside.

Just a thought.