Source of Life
GOD VALUES LIFE BECAUSE HE IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE.
Bible Reading of the Day: Read Genesis 2:4-7.
Verse of the Day: “The God who made the world . . . gives all men life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:24-25, NIV).
Ty helped his mom put the finishing touches on the scarecrow they had made for their vegetable garden. The scarecrow, formed by stuffing his dad’s jeans and shirt with straw and hanging them on two poles tied into the shape of a T, stood guard in the middle of the garden to keep birds and other pests away from their carrots, lettuce, and other vegetables. They had used a deflated soccer ball stuffed inside a potato sack for the head. Ty himself had topped it off by tying an old felt hat to their creation.
Ty stood back to admire their work. “It looks pretty good, doesn’t it, Mom?”
Mom brushed her hair out of her face and let out a weary sigh. “It sure does,” she said.
“Now I know what God must have felt like when he made Adam and Eve,” Ty said proudly.
Mom’s head snapped in Ty’s direction. “Oh, no, Ty,” she said. “Don’t say that.”
Ty tossed a quizzical look at Mom. “Why not?” he said.
Mom wiped her forehead with a work-gloved hand. “Think about what you just said,” she suggested. “I think you know the answer.”
“Don’t take things so seriously, Mom,” he said.
“Well, do you really think you know how God felt when he made Adam and Eve?”
“No,” Ty answered. “I guess not.”
“Why not?” Mom asked.
“Well, ’cause that’s just a scarecrow,” he said. “It’s not alive.”
Mom nodded. “That’s right. When God made the first man, he breathed the breath of life into him.”
“I see what you mean,” Ty said. “Plus, God made us in his own image, right?”
“Right. He gave more of himself to us humans than he did to anything else he created. That’s why he values human life so much, Ty, because he is the source of the life that’s in every one of us.”
“God commands us to respect life because he values human life himself,” said Ty. “And the reason he values human life so much is because he’s the living God who gives life to us all.”
“Wow,” Mom said, clearly impressed with her son. She draped an arm across his shoulders and steered him back toward the house. “I think that deserves a tall glass of lemonade.”
TO DO: Make plans to show how much you value human life. You can do this in a big way, such as volunteering at a homeless shelter, or in a small way, such as sharing a kind word with someone.
TO PRAY: “God, we owe you our very life. Help us to be grateful for life. Help us to value our life and the lives of others. Help us to respect life and to defend it.”