Thought for the Month - May 2019

"Get away when you can" by Barry Adair
(Whose choice?)

I used a phrase from a good friend of mine as the basis for a previous Thought and this month I want to use one of mine. This is not to be self-centred (I hope!) but simply to bring out a spiritual truth or two.

Last month's tongue-in-cheek wisdom of "life's hard, then you die!" brought us to the true wisdom of Solomon. This month's offering will lead us to a different place but, as always, I will try and bring you to what I believe the Word of God would say on the matter.

One of my favourite sayings, which I still use often, is "get away when you can!" I think I have used this phrase ever since I realised that I wanted to marry young and have kids early in life. Therefore, while my girlfriend (now my wife) and I were still 'foot-loose and fancy free', we decided there was wisdom in getting out and seeing the world around us. After marriage and two kids shortly after, we both appreciated going on those backpacking holidays while we could. And with my wife contracting M.E. and fibromyalgia while our kids were small, our "active" holidays were even further curtailed.

Now, as well as a parting phrase for those going away on holiday/vacation, "get away when you can!" can also be used in many other situations. It's a handy phrase to write on work colleagues' leaving cards and also on birthday cards. I must admit, I've even written "get away when you can" on a couple of engagement and wedding cards too! The one place I have never written "get away when you can" is on a bereavement card. I may be cheeky but that would just be way too inappropriate! But as I pondered about that for just a moment, a couple of thoughts hit me, which I wanted to include here as our Thought for the Month.

For a number of older Christian men and woman I have known, their last days on earth were days of pain. Their bodies showed the toll of a long fight against the cancer that was slowly killing them. For them and many others in similar situations, I'm sure the option of "get away when you can" could be a welcome option. This option is better known by the term 'euthanasia'. So, I wanted to check where euthanasia was legal in the world today and what the Bible said about the practice.

According to Wikipedia, as of March 2018, "active human euthanasia" is legal in Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia and Luxembourg. And "assisted suicide" is legal in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and in the U.S. States of Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Hawaii, Vermont, Montana, Washington DC, and California.

Akin to our previous Thought on the subject of 'abortion', the word 'euthanasia' is also not found in the Bible. But as in the case of abortion, I firmly believe that euthanasia goes against the inherent will of God for our lives…

"You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13)

"…Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21)

Many will say that, as it is our body, then it is our choice. But I believe the Bible teaches otherwise…

A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. (Job 14:5, NIV)

Of course, as God is featuring less and less in governments around the world, many countries and U.S. States have legalised active euthanasia or assisted suicide. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are both illegal in the UK, although doctors here will respect a patient's right to say whether they want certain medical intervention as part of a disease that is ultimately ending their life.

End of life care is a very important area of elder care and good care can help retain a person's dignity to the end. Pain relief is freely available and from what I have seen and read, our hospices, and charities like Marie Curie, do an incredible job of palliative care. And personally, and from reading my Bible, I feel that this is as far as we should go in intervening in the end of a human life. But you might be saying - "what would God have against us taking life into our own hands?" Well, simply that, this is taking something into our own hands which is not in our own hands to take. God created us and the Bible tells us that it is God who gives us life and it is God who will take it away (Job 1:21). The vast majority of choices in life are ours to take, but killing the unborn or killing the elderly are just not in our remit.

Euthanasia comes from two Greek words, Eu (good) and Thanatosis (death). Therefore, a good translation for 'euthanasia' is "good death". According to the Bible, the only "good death" is a death in Christ. By this I mean dying as a child of God, holding firmly on to God's promise of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. Any other death will result in eternal separation from the peace of God.

And my final thought is that "get away when you can" means just that - get away WHEN YOU CAN. We all are living in the day of grace where God's grace is open to all who humbly repent of their sin…

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men (Titus 2:11)

And no-one is too sinful to avail of God's full salvation. However, many feel they can wait until they are close to death before calling out to God for forgiveness. This is a very dangerous strategy as the Bible talks of a time when this 'day of grace' will end. Not only that, but even in this era of grace, many of us will not be in our right mind as we approach our own death. If you are not a child of God, can I urge you to make your peace with God today, when you can!

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants (Deuteronomy 30:19, emphasis mine)

Don't expect to have tomorrow
What is offered you today;
Jesus asks you now to follow -
Trust in Him and don't delay.
                                        (Sper)

(All Bible quotations are from the NASB)

P.S. since writing this Thought my own Father-in-law passed away after recent health battles. This Thought is dedicated to Sam Turtle, an honest, hard-working Tyrone farmer and now a new citizen of heaven

 

Until next month (DV)…

Are you SURE that you have your place booked in Heaven? Read this if you're not!