Monday, November 21

This Breaks My Heart

I receive Elisabeth Elliot's daily devotionals, and today's broke my heart. I thought I would share it here.



Author: Elisabeth Elliot

Source: Keep A Quiet Heart

Scripture: Matthew 25:40


Give Them Parking Space, But Let Them Starve to Death


Another moral threshold was crossed when a tiny baby boy, at the specific request of his parents and with the sanction of the Supreme Court of Indiana, was starved to death in a hospital. "Infant Doe" (he was not allowed the usual recognition of being human by being named), born with Down's syndrome and a malfunctioning esophagus (the latter could have been corrected with surgery), died, as the Washington Post (April 18) stated, "not because he couldn't sustain life without a million dollars worth of medical machinery, but because no one fed him." For six days the nurses in that Bloomington hospital went about their usual routines of bathing and changing and feeding all the newborns except one. They bathed and changed Baby Doe but they never gave him a bottle. Over his crib was a notice, DO NOT FEED. Several couples came forward, begging to be allowed to adopt him. They were turned down.

What went on in that little box during those six terrible days and nights? We turn our imagination away. It's unthinkable. But if I were to think about it, and put down on paper what my mind saw, I would be accused of playing on people's feelings, and of making infanticide (yes, infanticide--call it what it is) an "emotional issue." Let me suppose at least that the baby cried--quite loudly (at first). One report says that he was placed in a room alone, lest his crying disturb others (others, perhaps, who were capable of helping him).

Joseph Sobran, in his column in the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, suggested that "opposition to infanticide will soon be deplored as the dogma of a few religious sects who want to impose their views on everyone else." The language sounds sickeningly familiar.

There has been a conspicuous silence from those who usually raise shrill protest when other human rights are violated--the rights of smokers, homosexuals, and criminals are often as loudly insisted upon as those of children, women, and the handicapped.

The handicapped? What on earth is happening when a society is so careful to provide premium parking spaces to make things easier for them, but sees no smallest inconsistency when one of them who happens to be too young to scream, "For God's sake, feed me!" is quietly murdered? It is in the name of humanity, humaneness, compassion, and freedom that these things occur, but never is it acknowledged that the real reasons are comfort and convenience, that is, simple selfishness. "Abortion not only prefers comfort, convenience, or advantage of the pregnant woman to the very life of her unborn child, a fundamentally good thing, but seeks to deny that the life ever existed. In this sense it is a radical denial not only of the worth of a specific life but of the essential goodness of life itself and the Providential ordering of its procreation" (R.V. Young, "Taking Choice Seriously," The Human Life Review, Vol. VIII, no. 3.)

But weren't we talking about infanticide and haven't we now switched to abortion? The premises on which abortion is justified are fundamentally the same on which infanticide is seen as civilized and acceptable. What Hitler used to call eugenics is now called "quality of life," never mind whether the life in question happens to be the mother's or the child's. Death, according to three doctors who put the issue out into the open in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1973, is now considered an option in the "treatment" of infants; in other words, a mortuary may now replace the nursery. One cannot help thinking of the antiseptic "shower rooms" of the Third Reich, where the unwanted were "treated" to death. Nor can one forget the words of Jesus, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40, KJV).

Can any Christian argue that the smallest and most defenseless are, by virtue merely of being too small and too defenseless, not His brethren?

Saturday, November 19

Color, color, color

I was a little disappointed in how bright the exterior color turned out on our house. It's not exactly what I had in mind, but it's close. It's so hard to know what it will look like from a little swatch, even from a draw-down swatch that I had. I think it will look better once the trim is painted and gutters hung, but I am just a tad disappointed that it didn't come out looking like I envisioned.


Things could always be worse though. Our next door neighbor chose racquetball blue for his exterior paint, and this picture doesn't even come close to showing how bright this paint is! I am glad we can't really see his house from the inside of ours...ugh. We talked to the builder when we were out there, and he said it will fade quite a bit and be much more tame by the time we move in. I sure hope he's right. To top things off the owner chose a bright (almost hot) pink for his interior color. We only get one interior color, so it's all over the entire inside of his house. I am a little nervous about our new neighbor already, though the builder said he's a really nice guy.

Friday, November 18

Surprise Progress

We haven't been to see our new house for two weeks, so we drove up there this afternoon. We were surprised to see they had painted the exterior (except for trim), painted the interior, installed the gas line, and installed the cabinets. We saw the builder while we were there, and he said they will be putting in countertops next week. We're looking good for a January 1st closing date!

Monday, November 14

Another "Well" Day

Well, despite my declaring myself well yesterday, I still feel horrible today. I really thought I'd be over it by now. Ed even stayed home from work today because he's still sick too. The kids have their first dental appointments tomorrow, so I have to be well. I'll need all my faculties to deal with that ordeal!

Sunday, November 13

Sickness Strike

Everyone except Ryan came down with some bug this weekend, and we have been coughing, sneezing, hacking, blowing, and wheezing since Friday. I finally declared myself well this morning and just got back into the swing of things (except we stayed home from church). It just doesn't work to have Mommy sick. Anyone else can get sick, but it throws off the whole household if Mommy is laying in bed or on the couch all day! I still feel pretty cruddy, but we had homecooked meals today, have some clean clothes to wear tomorrow, clean sheets on the bed, and the kitchen is actually clean. I'm not sure what makes me feel worse, the symptoms of being sick or having such chaos in the house when I don't take care of my family and household the way I like to.

Tuesday, November 8

Painting the House

I got a call yesterday from our realtor wanting the interior color we picked for our house (he had forgotten we gave it to him already)! So things are moving a long well. They should paint this week and begin laying the subflooring for the bathrooms and utility room. We close on our current house in less than a week...so then we'll be renters again for a couple months. Feels a little odd.

Saturday, November 5

Progress

We drove up to Columbia City again yesterday to check on the status of our house. I was happy to see they have begun working on it again. They had stopped due to some delay in the gas line installation or something, but it’s been textured and I think painted too (all the windows were covered and it was too dark to tell for sure). So we’re making good progress! I finally decided on carpet and vinyl flooring. Everything is picked out now and all we need is for the house to be finished. Exciting!

Thursday, November 3

Surprise!

When I got home from the grocery store today, there was an FTD package by the front door. I knew my hubby had sent some flowers to his grandmother, and my first thought was that they had delivered them to us mistakenly. But when I read the tag it had my name on it. So my sweet husband sent me 18 roses of assorted colors, and they are beautiful! He's often doing sweet things for me so I shouldn't have been too surprised, but I was, which pleased him since he loves to surprise me.

Thankfulness

I was at Target yesterday and was so dismayed when I walked down the aisles and saw nothing but Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. What happened to Thanksgiving? Finally I spotted it...one lonely endcap with a meager supply of Thanksgiving and/or fall decorations, most of which were tableware. We have become such an ungrateful people (myself included). Then when I got home this was in my email, and I thought it was really uplifting. So, of course, I thought I'd share it with my vast audience!




Giving Thanks for God’s Overwhelming Generosity



By Roy Lessin, co-founder DaySpring Cards



Everything in your life that flows out of love has come to you from God. Everything in your life that is good has been initiated by God. God has done everything for you, He is everything to you, and He is enriching other lives through you. His generosity is overwhelming, His blessings are limitless, His love is endless.

No one has favored you more than God. He has removed every stain of your sin, He has cleansed all the defilement of your iniquity, and He has silenced every voice of condemnation that hung over your head. He has saved you, redeemed you, and justified you.

All of God’s grace abounds toward you, all of Christ’s riches are made available to you, and all spiritual blessings are provided for you. In Christ, you have received the treasures that can never be taken away, the hope that can never fade away, and the life that will never pass away.

As you walk with Jesus day by day, you will find that your thankfulness to Him is an ever-increasing symphony of praise, building into a lifelong crescendo of gratitude that flows from your heart to His. You, who have so little, have received so much, because He has been so generous.

There are so many riches that He has given to you; so many answers to prayer that He has granted to you; so many kindnesses that He has manifested to you; so many joys that He has provided for you; so many mercies that He has extended to you; so many benefits that He has showered upon you. Everything you have has come from Him, and that is the reason why your heart can be so grateful.

Thank Him today because—

He formed you and made you.

He has given you the breath of life.

He has given you this day.

He is working in you to become all that He has intended you to be.

He is working everything in your life together for the good.

He is using your difficulties and trials to conform you to His image.

Thank Him today for—

The forgiveness of your sins.

The peace that passes all understanding.

The smiles that have come to your face because His joy is in your heart.

The comfort of His presence that has quieted your heart and calmed your fears.

The hope that is in you because He has promised to always be with you.

The place in heaven that He has reserved and has prepared for you.

Thank Him today with—

Words of exaltation.

Songs of celebration.

A heart of strong devotion.

Thoughts of deep reflection.

Acts of admiration.

Claps of loud ovation.


"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
Hebrews 13:15

 

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