Explore: Value every life

• The Explore the Bible lesson for Jan. 19 focuses on Psalm 139:1-10, 13-16, 23-24.

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• The Explore the Bible lesson for Jan. 19 focuses on Psalm 139:1-10, 13-16, 23-24.

Psalm 139 has great significance in my life. Like any passage of Scripture, this one speaks to my heart because of its truth. However, this one speaks on a more personal level than most. So, instead of giving my usual commentary of our Bible study lesson, I am going to share a little of my story with you. As I present the details, I believe you will see how this relates to the truths in Psalm 139.

I heard my mother give this portion of her testimony many times while I was growing up. My parents were married in 1961, and they began their family a year later when my older sister was born. A couple of years later, my other sister came along. Then, my mom had three miscarriages. She and my father really wanted to have a boy, and finally, in 1971, my brother was born. Now their family was complete, and they had gotten exactly what they wanted.

A decision to make

However, in the summer of 1972, they found they were having another child, and they were not exactly “overly excited.” By this point, my mother’s body was worn out. She had endured three C-sections and three miscarriages. The doctor told my mom there were problems. She would face the possibility she could die as a result of carrying the child, and the child was most likely to be born crippled.

This also was the time in our nation’s history when there was a huge fight going on over a woman’s right to choice versus a child’s right to life. The Supreme Court was deciding the major abortion case of Roe v. Wade. One of the issues always brought up in abortion debates is what to do when a pregnancy threatens a woman’s life.

This was the scenario my mother faced. The doctor told her she should have an abortion. He felt this was the best choice for my mom’s overall health and probably for the child as well.

But, as I have mentioned before, my mom and dad are people of great faith. She told the doctor she would not even consider an abortion. She believed God had given her this child, and she trusted God to protect her and the baby through the birthing process. Her conviction about life was strong, and she would not be swayed, even if it meant risking her own life. As the product of that decision, I can tell you I eternally am grateful my mom chose life.

Physical challenges


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In April 1973—Friday the 13th to be exact—I was born. My mother had her fourth C-section, which was pretty much unheard of at the time. She came through the procedure fine, but as the doctor had predicted, I was born with physical issues.

Now, not to give too much information, my feet grew into my legs and had to be surgically separated. When the doctors performed this procedure, even though it was successful, my legs did not set straight. Therefore, I had to wear braces on my legs for the first year of my life. I like to joke with people that I did not walk for the first nine months of my life because of the braces, but neither does anyone else, so it was OK with me. My dad also joked about the braces, tormenting me as a kid by telling me he used to hang me up at night by those braces when I was a baby. I really do hope he was joking.

After that first year, my legs where completely normal, and I still have no problems with my feet or legs. My mom always enjoyed telling people how wrong the doctors were and how God had healed her son. She would mention some accomplishment—like the fact that I played on a state championship basketball team—and then smile and talk about how great the God we serve is.

Life has purpose because of God

That is my story. I can hardly read Psalm 139 without tears forming in my eyes. It means incredibly more to me than just random truths on a page. To me, it is the difference between life and death. And even as I read it today, it still reminds me my life has purpose because of my Creator. God created each of us for a purpose. Everyone is important because we have God’s stamp on our lives.

My prayer for this week’s lesson is that we would let Psalm 139 “richly dwell” in us, as Colossians 3:16 tells us. Either we will believe we all are “fearfully and wonderfully” made by God, and we will advocate for life wherever possible, or we will be drawn in by the message of misguided tolerance by the world around us and fail to protect the most vulnerable of our society.


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