The Life

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life". [John 14]

Life, how precious it is!

Have you ever thought that if your parents never met, or if they decided not to have children, you would not be here?

Have you ever faced death? I mean, really almost died? I have, and I can tell you, it changes you. I have almost drowned at age 4 or so; been the victim of a violent crime and prayed for my life to be spared; had 2 trees almost fall directly on top of me (I ran for my life).

These near misses have made me more patient, with others, with myself. I am more grateful for the small moments in life: a tiny bird at my bird feeder, the first rich sip of coffee in the morning, the smile of a friend.

These near misses have enabled me to find God more in my life. He is the reason I am here to begin with. He is the reason I remain on this earth.

I ponder all this as I am about to attend a meeting at my son's school about the curriculum he will learn on Human Reproduction. I know that what he will learn will be very scientific: male vs. female anatomy, conception and reproduction.

A couple of things keep running through my mind here. One: I CANNOT believe I have a son old enough for Sex Education!

Two: But, I am not worried about this health unit. Or what the teachers will say.

You see, I had this conversation last year with my son. The year he came home asking what some "choice words" meant. Right after my hair finished curling, I decided that I wanted to be the one to control what he heard about human sexuality.

So I gave him "The Talk" myself.

I said, God gives us our bodies, so our bodies are from Him. That means that "The Act" between a man and a woman is sacred and holy. Do not mock it, take it in vain, make it profane, turn it into recreation. "The Act" needs to be loving, holy, special. It is a gift from God. I told him that he needs to be fully mature enough to comprehend this Gift. It is not for children.

When I was finished, my son had sort of an awe struck look on his face. I felt very grateful that he understood the preciousness of life and the great gift that we have been given in the ability to conceive life.

But I wonder, how many people would explain human sexuality this way? How many Christians would admit that this is how they give "The Talk" to their kids?

Do we just talk about the biology, the science, the anatomy of human sexuality? Do we acknowledge any role of God at all?

If we can thank God every day that we are alive, breathing, that our food is nourishing us, that perhaps our medicines are healing us, that we can speak and say "I love you" to our loved ones; why cannot we thank God for our sexuality and acknowledge that this physiological mechanism is also a Gift? We can watch a science film and feel awe at the pictures of a beating human heart. Or listen to a neurologist talk about the human brain and acknowledge that, it is such a complex and wondrous instrument, we may never fully understand it.

So WHY, then, do we reduce a woman to the sum of her various body parts? WHY is teen pregnancy the subject of a voyeuristic reality show? WHY do we snicker about our sexuality, or take it so casually that it is something to text about, or boast about, or tally up as if it were a personal contest?

In Romans 12:1, it is said, "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship."

God, Life is a precious gift, the human body is a precious gift. May I always honor myself, and honor others, with the preciousness of life in mind.

(c) The Spiritual Devotional 2011. All Rights Reserved.