Tuesday, March 22, 2005

My 2 Cents: Living Will

If I have to live in pain or by using artificial means for an extra 10, 20, 30, 40, 50…100 years, please let me live. I have eternity to spend in heaven. Any amount of pain and suffering, regardless of the severity or length, will be insignificant compared to the joy of eternity.

If my family and friends are not able, or are unwilling, to pay for the methods required to keep me alive, please let me die. I have eternity to spend in heaven. Any extra years spent on earth will be insignificant compared to eternity.

Please do not ever use a penny of tax payer dollars to keep me alive through any artificial means. It is not morally right to force others pay for my medical care. After all, heaven, not earth, is my home.

2 comments:

IMO said...

I really liked that.

Anonymous said...

My wife and I had living wills, [dying] wills, and medical power of attorney documents drawn up years ago. Having children, I think it was the only responsible thing to do.

However, if what you are commenting on is the Shivo case in Florida, while I am concerned about what happens to Terry, I am far more concerned about what the outcome means to our country and to the church in our country.

There are times when I wish God would step in and smash some things with an earthquake or reigning fire down from heaven, but as I get older, I realize that is not likely to happen. God has delegated a lot of the responsibility for each society to its leaders. He will not contramand their authority until the stench of the nation becomes so great in his nostrils that he he can no longer bear it. Then, quite often, he will use another nation to conquer or destroy the offending society.

Ezekiel 9:6 indicates that when God finally executes his judgement he starts with the church. We who were supposed to be his body on this Earth, the light which shines to all and illuminates their need for Jesus. When we fail in our purpose because we have allowed the spirit of the world to taint us, will be the first to be judged. God will wipe out 10,000 churches before he smashes one abortion clinic ... he will torment 10,000 ministers before he gets to Michael Shivo or Michael Jackson.

There are two lessons in this: (1) we as the Church bear a great responsibility for our apathy in the downfall of our nation, and (2) if he starts with the Church and does not spare us, the the doom of those outside the Church is sealed.

(Sorry for the soap box, but I was reading Deitrich Bonhoffer some yesterday, and he has little sympathy for the apathetic Church.)

Buz