Life is a Gift

I’m a reactor. It doesn’t seem to matter how long I live or how hard I try, I can’t seem to shake my natural bent to react in the moment. I am often immediately convicted by the Spirit and asking for forgiveness, and I have definitely grown over the years in my reactions to others. But it will never be natural for me to be silent when the unexpected happens, and that part of my personality bothers me.

Yesterday was Sanctity of Human Life Sunday for 2024, an annual observance of the value of all human life that coincides with the anniversary of the passage of the legalization of abortion in the United States in 1973. It is typically a day that churches focus on their stand against abortion and the value of all human life as a gift from God, who alone has the power to give or take life. Based on the creation account in Genesis 1:26-27, Christians believe that all humans are made in the image of God and therefore possess intrinsic value and are worthy of respect and protection. Because human worth is grounded in the image of God, value is not based on a person’s abilities or usefulness or age or physical beauty or race or religion or financial status or anything else.

But this week I’ve been thinking about what it means to hold these beliefs about human life and how it affects me in a practical way. There is more to consider here than just abortion and euthanasia, and this is more than a political issue. If I believe in the sanctity of all human life, then how I treat other people matters . . . all the time. And Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:21-22 dig deep into this issue and my status as a reactor. Jesus updates the original Jewish law and makes it very practical for his followers when he equates anger with murder – both equally deserving judgment. Ouch! Now it’s getting more personal. I’m no murderer; but I react in anger far more often than I care to admit.

If I say I believe in the sanctity of human life, then my reactions should show it. When I get angry in traffic or because someone does something differently than I would, it shows that I don’t value them the way I should. When I react with selfish motives or in judgment instead of compassion, I am devaluing the other person in comparison to myself. I am forgetting that everyone has a God-given purpose for being here, regardless of what traits they have been given or what circumstances they find themselves in. And there is no place for name-calling that attacks someone else’s character or identity. The bottom line: anything I say or do that devalues another person violates the sanctity of human life I claim to believe in.

Maybe I’m the only one who needed to hear these words this week. But belief and action always go hand in hand for Christians. And that’s a message we probably all need to hear. Thankfully, right actions are powered by God’s work in us, and he has given us everything we need for life and godliness through his Son, Jesus (2 Peter 1:3). Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!