The treasure of human life

This morning I got out of bed and grabbed the clothes I was going to wear for the day. As I left my bedroom, I couldn't help hearing Ray sleeping in the other bedroom across the hall. How peacefully he was sleeping, drawing in long, deep breaths. _He seemed to be holding them in for a couple of seconds before releasing them, as if subconsciously just wanting to hold onto and appreciate every one of them as they came. He seemed to be drinking in the breath of the life that was coursing through his veins, the very breath of the God who made him. With every breath he took in and held, his spirit seemed to be satisfied that this life, and this sleep he was enjoying was created by God to rejuvenate him so that he could go out into the world and be Jesus to the least of these. God had created him, created life, and it was, it is, good. I went into the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. Then, on the way to my bathroom, I stopped once more to listen to this beautiful, peaceful breathing. For a second it made me wish I could see, just so I could open the door and get a glimpse of what his face looked like in that moment, sleeping so peacefully. Then, just as quickly as the thought had come, it was replaced by the thought that has entered my mind before: What a treasure he is. Then, the thought hit me: What a treasure human life is, a god-given gift that many take for granted. What would the world be like if there were no Ray, sleeping peacefully at this moment? What would the world be like if he didn't exist? I know for my part that it would be less exciting, less thought-provoking, and I can't imagine what alternative ways Christ would use to make His presence known to me in my life. I can't imagine a world in which a five-year-old and his family in Colorado wouldn't exist to learn how to deal with the relatively new diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. There would be a few less people in the world who, after they master the daily inconveniences and complications of the disease as best they can, will be able to help others in similar situations. And now let's imagine this: Imagine the deep sorrow Mary felt as she accompanied her son on the road to Calvary. Imagine how she must have wanted desperately to protect her son, her only child; to do whatever was necessary to get him out of that situation. But she couldn't, because she had already said yes to the will of God, that Jesus should be brought into the world only to die for us, that we may treasure this life He gave us by stretching out his arms on the cross. And to bring all of this into perspective, imagine there were no Jesus to die for our sins. Where would we be? I shudder to think of the possible answers to that question. So let's thank God for our lives. Let's thank Him for the life of His only begotten Son. And on this Memorial Day weekend, let's thank Him for the lives of the many men and women who gave those lives up so that our great nation could be free. And one final imagining: Let's imagine all those aborted babies who, had they been allowed to live, might have impacted many lives in God only knows what ways.