As I was standing on the sidewalk, I stared at the gate separating me from the Planned Parenthood Building. This budding vine that covers the gate was covered by blossoms and berries. Some were just buds waiting to open and some berries had already shriveled up and died. This is the picture of life...and I was thinking about how cool it is that God shows us who he is in nature.
A time to be born and a time to die. (Ecclesiastes 3:2)
Who decides when we are to live and when we are to die? God. Who gives life to this vine? God. He is the maker of heaven and earth. Just as he decides which flowers will bloom and how long the berries will live, he decides our time here on earth.
I met an older lady the other day who had just been dropped off at the office. She was in a wheelchair and couldn't hear. She didn't come in with any family members and I think someone dropped her off from the nursing home where she lived. She told us she needed help to go to the bathroom. And we all just looked at each other, waiting almost to see who was going to help her...and finally we all jumped in to help her. She had diabetes and was having trouble seeing. Reflecting on her difficult situation, I wondered if she wanted to live. I was comforted that God knew her thoughts and cared about her life.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:26)
Even though her life didn't look full to me, that doesn't mean her life doesn't have value. And it is up to God when it is time for her to leave. Some people think an older person if they are too weak and sick, or a baby with a birth defect isn't worth living. But the problem with abortion or ending anyone's life is that we are making a decision about life. That isn't our decision. It's God's.
With the 40 days for life going on right now, I wasn't alone on the sidewalk. I love how so many people have a heart for the unborn and am encouraged when I see other people showing up to pray. God hears our prayers and hope for justice for the unborn.
