March 28, 2005 1:00 PM
Terri's in God's hands now, as are we all
Mel asked what I think about Terri Schiavo.
I really have not wanted to write about this because it is too sad. When I see the film of Terri's mother cradling her head and Terri's eyes lighting up and the corners of her mouth lifting, it reminds me of the blindingly beautiful smile of Jesse -- one of my sons with Down syndrome. Jesse is what some would call "low-functioning" because his delays are greater than the average kid with Down syndrome. However, in God's kingdom, Jesse may be at the top of the scale for all I know. After all, according to Samuel 16-7:
"Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
When I see Terri's face light up -- people who don't see this must be blind, but maybe I was blind before God used Jonny to open my heart -- I am reminded of Matthew 25: 31-45
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
They also will answer, `Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
He will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
It is an incredible privilege to be a mommy to someone like Jesse, who evokes the purest kind of love -- completely unselfish, rewarded only by the love he returns in his very simple way. I can understand how Terri's mom must have felt, caring for her daughter. I can feel the searing pain she must have experienced/be experiencing to have that privilege taken away by those who are spiritually blind.
And now the ugly aftermath -- Terri's husband not honoring her heritage and religion when it comes to her burial. The press circling like vultures around the stories of Tom DeLay's father, whose life support was discontinued in 1988. As though to say Tom DeLay and pro-lifers are hypocrites. Excuse me, but a feeding tube is not life support any more than a spoon. A ventilator is life support. The media continues to trust in what they perceive as public stupidity, that we're just not smart enough to figure it out ourselves. And they are vicious, aren't they?
Liberals love to dredge up the McCarthy "witchhunts" as the right's abuse of power (no one seems to notice that they were not all that wrong). Last night I told my kids the recent stories of the left's: Waco, Ruby Ridge, Elian Gonzales (another Holy Week atrocity), and now Terri Schiavo.
I've also been reading them sections of Hugh Hewitt's book, In But Not Of, which begins with a wonderful treatise on why it is important for Christians to engage in the public sphere and to pursue excellence in whatever their calling. Hewitt says,
The reality for all Christians is the obligation to equip themselves for their greatest impact and to seek every opportunity to increase that impact.
What a word for today! Religious freedom in this country will never survive as long as Christians take their blessings for granted, caring only about their own individual interests -- their own prosperity, their own business pursuits, their own church activities. This is not salt and light. This is lazy and irresponsible.
Sorry, but this is a tender subject with me right now. I raised my kids to be warriors, but it's not just the world that tends to dull their swords -- it's the overwhelming complacency of the Christian community. Christian friends who are content to pursue their own happiness. Christian friends who dumb themselves down with stupid television shows and meaningless movies rather than informing themselves and confronting their culture.
That's really how we wind up with Terri Schiavo. Not enough Christians involved in politics and justice to begin with. So when a showdown occurs, we're sure to lose.
I mean, so what if 4 million people have read Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven Life? How many have changed the way they live as a result? I wish Hugh Hewitt's book would be next on the must-read list -- but I have a feeling its message is too challenging -- plain and simple.
Don't forget, just as the personal is the political, the political is the personal. America and each citizen in it is a little less today because Terri Schiavo was allowed to die a slow and excruciating death, without even a glimpse of the people who really loved her.
For a glimpse into the hearts of those whose lives have been changed because someone like Terri was in their lives, read The Power of the Powerless -- an elegantly simple and moving tribute by Christopher de Vinck to his brother Oliver, one of those beings whose dependence and helplessness can bring out the best or worst in those around them.
In the past few weeks we've seen the best and worst in those surrounding Terri Schiavo. Now it's in God's hands. Now it's time to place ourselves in his hands as well, asking him to reveal the best and worst in our hearts. Where could we have done more?
Posted in Church Issues, Culture, Current Affairs, Down syndrome, Family, Pro-Life Issues, Religion | Permalink
Comments
Nothing to add; just a "thank you" for writing and living the truth.
Posted by: Amy's Humble Musings | March 28, 2005 11:51 PM
I first saw Hugh Hewitt on an msnbc cable show last week, and was so glad to hear a voice of sanity in the middle of the sea of sadness surrounding Terri Schiavo and her family.
http://www.hughhewitt.com/
Every time I see someone labeled a "bioethicist" on tv, I flinch and click the remote. Shades of the shadows preceding the Third Reich.
Posted by: Julana Schutt | March 31, 2005 2:08 PM
