The Value of a Single Life

What is the value of one single life? I think that is a worthwhile question to ask. In a society which seeks to put a dollar amount on everything, it certainly seems that we are placing less and less value on human life while increase the value of the temporary trappings which surround us. So, let’s try to put a price tag on a human life.

Of course, in order to do that we first need to ask, “On whose life are we placing this value?” Is it your life? Is it your spouse’s life? Or one of your children’s lives? Or a friend? A coworker? A neighbor? Or is it just a stranger across town or on the other side of the world? Face it, most of us would apply a different price tag based upon our relationship with the person to whom we assign the value. Is there any amount that would be too much to spend to save the life of your spouse or child? Would you assign the same value to a friend, co-worker, or neighbor? Probably not.

But, for the sake of this article, let’s assume that we are talking about a person whom you have never met who lives in a remote village in Uganda. And, for further consideration, we will say that it is a little girl name Charinda who is eight years old. How much is her life worth? Ten dollars? Fifty dollars? One hundred? One thousand? Come on… push has come to shove and you have been contacted and informed that Charinda is sick and will die without medical treatment, and you are the only source of funding. How much would you be willing to spend to save this little girl’s life? Would you be willing to spend anything at all? Would you be willing to send $20.00 or $1000.00? Would you be willing to empty your bank account?

I ask these questions because the value we place on the life of a stranger is the true value we place on life in general. It has nothing to do with the value we place on our spouse or children. It has no bearing on the price tag we assign to friends or co-workers. Those things are determined by the value we place on the relationship which we have with them, not life. So, what is Charinda’s life worth to you, and how do you decide that price tag?

For most people the answer would be, “The amount that I can give without making a significant sacrifice.” They may not say this out loud, but the way they live shows it. That explains why recent fundraising efforts for The Red Cross’ work in Haiti was so successful. The drive was based upon giving $10.00 by using the text feature on your cell phone. Who could not afford to give $10.00? And who would choose not to, especially when you don’t even have to mail a check? So, help was sent and lives were saved because millions of people gave so little that they wouldn’t miss it. And that is fine, I guess. But what happens when millions aren’t ready to respond? What happens when the response depends of the sacrifices and giving of a few?

Which brings us back to Charinda. What would you give and give up to keep her alive? Is she worth a night at the movies? Is she worth your cable television? Is she worth a decision to swear off name brand clothing and shoes? Is she worth settling for a smaller home or older car? Is she worth denying your children a few luxuries so she can have a few necessities? 

These questions are challenging, even haunting. I have been asking them of myself a lot recently, and I think it would be valuable for every believer to ask and answer them. Because the simple truth is that the answers we give to these questions determines the real value we place on life.

So…how much is a life really worth to you?

The Cure for More…and a Dare

Whenever I write or speak about materialism, I am frequently asked the same question. “So, are you saying we should give everything away and live in poverty?” And the answer to that is, “Yes, some of us should.”

There is no doubt that scripture indicates that is a viable option for some people. That was Jesus’ instructions to the rich young ruler in Luke 18 because he was owned by his wealth and Christ longed to see him set free. However, I don’t believe that is the prescription for most American believers. Rather, I believe the answer for most of us is found in 2 Corinthians 8:13-15:

13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15 as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."

There is no doubt that here in America most of us have more than we need, even if the typical person does not think so. Credit spending and the drive more more stuff has brought many families to the brink of financial collapse, but it is usually not because they did not have enough. Instead, most of these desperate situations were created out of the desire for more and better possessions. In other words, if the typical family could learn to live modestly off their income they would have more than enough. And much of that excess could be used to provide for others in need.

How do we do this? By asking a couple of basic questions:

1. Do I really NEED that? – As our family has been preparing for our move to Guatemala we have sold a large amount of our possessions which we are now living without. And we realize that, at some point in the past, we really felt that we needed those things. We now realize that we did not. Even now as we wait for our house to sell we find ourselves confronted even more directly by the question of needs verses wants because we realize that most of what we buy now we will be unable to take to Guatemala with us. As a result, we are now working hard to purchase only consumables such as food and personal care products. This question has actually been a source of liberation for us, forcing our family to focus on what is really important.
2. Do I really need THAT? – This sounds like the same question, but the focus is not on what we need but instead on what we choose to purchase once we determine it is a need. In other words, we may determine that we need to purchase new jeans due to the deteriorated state of our old jeans. (This is an example for our older folks as the deteriorated status of jeans would raise their value for teens.) But when choosing what jeans to purchase do we really need the $50 - $120 name brand pair, or will the $20 off brand meet our need. (Or better yet, can we find a pair at Goodwill for $3.79?) Do we really need to use our limited resources for that little cloth label or stitching on the pocket? Often just by being smarter consumers we can save large amounts of money which could be used to make an eternal difference.

In the spirit of these two questions, I would like to present you with a dare to a type of spiritual fasting. I dare you to ask and live by these questions for the next month with the following commitments:

1. If you are planning to purchase something, first stop and ask yourself if your really NEED it. If the answer to that questions ends up being “No” then take half the amount you would have spent on it and give it to a ministry that will use it to make an eternal difference.
2. If you determine that you really do need it, before your purchase stop and ask if you really need THAT. Do your really need the name brand? Do you really need that large of a TV? Do you really need the pre-packaged meals? And if the answer is no, set aside half the savings to give to a ministry.

I dare you to try it for just one month. It might be a life-changing experiment for you and a life-saving experiment for someone else.

The Poverty of Abundance

I have recently had a chance to spend time with a rather materialist person. Of course, they would deny that they are materialistic. In fact, I have yet to meet someone consumed with obtaining “stuff” who would admit that they are materialistic. Their consumerism is always wrapped neatly in excuses and justifications in order to allow them to continue to purchase and obtain possessions while convincing themselves that they are not shallow and self-absorbed. Yet the symptoms are there and the disease is evident.

Materialism - ma·te·ri·al·ism - \mə-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌli-zəm\ - a preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things.

As I spent time with this person it was very evident that she was seeking to fill emptiness in her life and bolster her self-esteem through her possessions. And my heart broke for her because I know the emptiness of her pursuit. I know that no matter how many electronic gadgets and toys she obtains and no matter how expensive and abundant her wardrobe becomes she will never fill the hole in her heart. In fact, the more she fills her life with stuff the emptier she will be.

One of the greatest things God has taught our family over the last year is the joy of sacrifice. As we downsize our lives in order to follow God’s call and touch a dying world we are finding freedom, peace, and joy. Contrary to the mindset of the materialist, the more we give up the less we fear and the happier we become. I believe there are several reasons for this negative correlation:

1. No matter how hard we work to convince ourselves otherwise, we all know in our hearts that longing for and obtaining physical possessions is investing in the fleeting and temporary things of life. The fancy new I-Pad of today will become the obsolete, archaic device in the garbage in a short while. The greatest fashions of today will one day end up in a yard sale or Goodwill tomorrow. The brand new beautiful car of today will one day sit in a junkyard somewhere. And when that happens we can never regain the work, time, and money we spent to obtain those things. God created us to be people of eternity and we will never be happy as long as we are spending most of our time investing in the temporary.
2. Our possessions tend to isolate and distract us from the needs of the world. We surround ourselves with toys, gadgets, clothes, vehicles, and homes and pretend that most of the world is like us. We use these things as distractions to keep from seeing the world as it truly is. But God made us to be world changers. So when we insulate ourselves from the world and invest in our own comforts instead of loving and helping a dying world, we will always end up feeling empty. And we will eventually end up resenting the very things that we thought would bring us peace and happiness.
3. Possessions take a lot of time to obtain, maintain, and manage. The more we have the more time we spend keeping up with the work those possessions bring. Soon, we find ourselves becoming slaves to our stuff. Romans 1:25 says that mankind “exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator…” That sounds like an accurate description of a materialistic person. God created us to be people of relationships. Yet the more we want and have, the less time we have to invest in the relationships we need.

And while we spend our time amassing and serving our possessions the world dies around us. So we waste huge portions of our lives and miss the mission for which God created us.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can change, one step at a time, with God’s help. We can step off the hamster wheel of more, bigger and better, realizing that it is not getting us anywhere. We can say no to the counterfeit and temporary and embrace the real and eternal. We have to. The consequences to ourselves and the world are too great not to.

(More to come on this topic)

Love in Action

My bag is unpacked, I have gotten some sleep, and I am well on my way of catching up on the mound of work that was waiting when I returned. I have also had some time to reflect on our trip and gain some insight that I would like to share. Specifically, I want to share a powerful truth and give you several examples to illustrate that reality.

The powerful truth is this…love in action can heal wounded hearts. How do I know?

1) Ervin

Erving suffers from CP and is rather large and strong for his age. As a result, he is not seen as cute by the nurses who keep him tied to a pole much of the time he is out of his crib. His anger is revealed when he lashes out at his captors through hitting, kicking, and biting. He is not liked by most, but I absolutely love the little guy! When I am at Hermano Pedro he follows me closely and clings tightly to me…unless Dick Rutgers is around. In that case, I am quickly discarded and Dick is his #1 buddy! It has been very difficult getting him to interact with anyone else except the two of us.

Last week, something amazing happened. After the first two days of working at HP with our excellent team, I noticed that Ervin wasn’t stuck to my hip. When I looked around for him, I found him playing with another team member, giving her hugs and kisses and having a grand time with her. By the end of the week, he was freely moving through the courtyard loving on children and team members alike! I have never seen him happier! The simple reality was that Ervin knew that he was loved by our entire team, and he was eager to love back.

2) Estuardo

Estuardo has Autism. He stimulates himself by making noises with his mouth that are amazingly loud. He also likes to spin in tight circles using awkward steps. He, too, is known for lashing out through hitting and biting and has a reputation of displaying massive temper tantrums. Whenever there is a special event, the nurses like to drug him and put him in his crib so he doesn’t disrupt the party. He typically does not bond with anyone, but that changed last week

Early in the week my daughter, Brittney, pulled him from his crib and started loving on him. While she readily admitted that he was quite a handful, she also saw past his behavior and fell for this little guy. Through much patience and some frustration on Brittney’s part, we all began to see a change in Estuardo. Gradually his behavior improved and he became more affectionate. By our last day, he was hugging on anyone who would accept it, including Ervin! (Estuardo and Ervin could be considered arch enemies. I have seen them both clobber one another in a moment of conflict, leaving one or both in tears.) I choked up watching these two guys hugging and laughing together.

3) Delmi

You have read about Delmi in my blog before. This young lady has very little that is attractive in her outward appearance. She is often ignored and passed over by both staff and volunteers as they move on to the cute children. As a result, Delmi is not a happy teenager.

In our last several trips, I have spent time with Delmi trying to coax a smile. And I have been successful in that effort. But it has always taken a lot of effort to achieve the smallest of smiles.

Early in the week one of our team members, Marisa, began to invest in Delmi. She spent long hours talking to her, stroking her hair, feeding her, and being her friend. I noticed her work and was excited to see the two of them bonding. But I was surprised at the results she achieved. At the end of our second day I stopped by Delmi’s bed to say “Buenes Noches” and, as soon as I did, she broke into a huge grin! The joy on her face was so evident and I was caught completely off guard. This girl from whom I had always struggled to coax even small smiles was literally beaming…all because of Marisa’s love!

4) Paulo

Paulo is a teenage boy with pronounced CP. He struggles with chewing and swallowing and cannot speak at all. He is also a very unhappy young man. Prior to this trip the only noises I have ever heard from him was moaning and crying.

One day as I was playing with several of the kids in the courtyard I heard the sounds of laughter coming from behind me. I turned to find Don, one of our team members, pushing Paulo around backward while he laughed aloud! I was so surprised that I went over to double check and make sure that it was Paulo. I had never seen him smile before, much less laugh! I can honestly say that it made my trip!

Don and Paulo became buddies and spent a lot of time together. And I am happy to report that I saw lots more smiles and laughs throughout the week!

There are more stories that I could share with you. Each of our team members did an excellent job of loving on the children, and the results were astounding. As I shared in an earlier blog, I have never seen Hermano Pedro more filled with joy than on this trip. And the reason for that joy was the obvious love of Jesus displayed through our team to each one of these children and teens.

What a difference love makes!

Coming and Going

This posting was written on Sunday evening, March 7th but not posted until Monday due to lack of internet connection.

Our team’s last day-and-a-half in Guatemala was spent with the kids of Hermano Pedro. As happens each trip, our group fell in love with those children and treasured every moment we had with them.

Saturday morning was a little tense when we arrived at the orphanage. Apparently the nurses were upset that we had insisted on the six children being fed the night before. I was told by the head nurse that we were mistaken and that all the kids had been fed earlier because they were on a special diet. However, there were a couple of holes in that story. First, we know the children and their eating habits and none of those kids were on special diets. Second, we were with the kids all afternoon and would have known if they had received food. I spoke with a long-term volunteer at HP and explained to her the situation and provided a list of the kids who were skipped during their feeding. She took it to the nursing supervisor who said they would have a meeting early this week to develop a system to assure that no kids would be skipped. Then, at lunch time, the nurses were carrying lists and checking children off as they were given food. So it looks as if things are changing, even if we had to tick-off some nurses to make it happen.

That afternoon we took a group of the younger kids to Central Park in Antigua. We had a blast taking off their shoes and socks and letting them splash their feet in the fountains. We purchased ice cream from a street vendor and let the children enjoy that rare treat. We then returned to HP, after allowing plenty of time for their clothes to dry. (Apparently most Guatemalans believe that children will die of pneumonia if their clothes get wet, even on an 80 degree day, so we could not let the nurses see the children with any dampness on their outfits!) We also returned with ice cream for all the nurses which seemed to make peace with them.

This morning we said goodbye to the kids and left. Most of us did so through tears. I can’t begin to describe how difficult this is. Each trip, as we leave behind the children, we feel as if we are leaving behind a part of ourselves. And each time our urge to get there full-time increases. How much longer will we have to wait until we can move their permanently? We know God’s timing is perfect and keep reminding ourselves of that truth. But, as we drove out of Antigua, I found myself for the first time feeling like home ownership is a curse. If only we could simply call up a landlord and let him know we were moving.

But, for now, we are simply waiting and praying for our house to sale. And while we wait, we continue to face life with part of our hearts in Guatemala.

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Update on Byron’s chair: Thanks for your prayers for Dick’s work on Byron’s chair. He has determined that the head control unit is not damaged, but the problem is instead with the computer. He is hopeful that he can get Byron back on the road by Thursday or Friday. While that seems like an eternity to Byron, it could have been much worse.

Fighting for Food

The last two days have been very full for our team. Interestingly enough, there has been a common thread that has run through our work. That thread…food, or the lack thereof.

Yesterday we spent the day at Casa Jackson which is a malnutrition home on the edge of Antigua. Currently it houses 14 children who entered the facility greatly underweight. We helped with bathing, feeding, and holding the children as well as some basic cleaning. The entire group greatly enjoyed the day they spent with these little ones.

I spent much of the afternoon with a very serious little girl named Mirna. Throughout the first part of the day she observed our group with large brown eyes, but never once cracked a smile. At around 1:00 pm I took her in my arms with one goal in mind…a smile! Using silly voices, “gotcha” fingers, and assorted props, I gradually saw a smile develop. Then, at around 3:00 I actually heard a giggle! It seemed like she actually learned to smile and laugh for the first time that afternoon. I imagine she hasn’t had much to be happy about thus far in her short two years of life.

We spent today at Hermano Pedro loving on the kids. Once again we filled the courtyard with every available child. We blew bubbles, played games, and sang songs, and as we did we saw the same marvelous transformation occur. Joy replaced sadness and the entire place brightened.

For lunch we took a group of the older teens and two young ladies out to eat at Pollo Campero. Stomachs were filled with food and paper airplanes made from placemats filled the air. We had so much fun with this group!

 

My  buddy, Elmer, and I put on our special hats and struck a gangsta pose together while Dick hit us with spit wads. In other words, the adults were worse than the kids!

We returned to HP at 2:00 pm to find almost all the kids back in their cribs. We held another jail break, liberating most of the children into the courtyard where we spent the rest of the afternoon.

Things went well until supper. As usual, the nurses brought out food for us to feed to the children. We all fed the kids assigned to us and the nurses came back around to brush the children’s teeth. At that point, various members of our team began to point out different children who had not received food. After discussing it with everyone we determined that six children had been skipped. When we pointed this out to the nurses, they tried to argue that they had received food, but we were sure they had not. We stuck to our guns and insisted that they be fed. Eventually they relented and food was brought out. However, they had already cleaned up after dinner, so those remaining only received bread mixed in warm milk.

But for our team’s alertness and intervention, six children would have gone to bed hungry tonight. Why? Because of a failure to create a simple checklist that would assure that all the kids receive a meal. I confess that this angered me. How many other nights do they miss feeding some of these little guys? And how long will it be until someone cares enough to change things?

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On a side note, Byron’s head-control unit for his wheelchair shorted out today. This young man is a wonderfully active guy thanks to the mobility provided by his chair, but until it is repaired he loses that mobility. Dick is working to repair it, but is not sure he has the necessary parts. A new unit is expensive and would not work as well for Byron’s needs. Would you please pray with us that Dick will be able to scrape together the parts necessary to get him back on the road quickly? Thanks!

Contrasts

Our team spent today at Amor del Nino, a Christian orphanage near Guatemala City. This is my fourth trip there, and each time I go I am struck by the contrasts between this loving ministry and Hermano Pedro.

The first thing you notice as you enter their home is how open, bright and cheery it all is. The kids have room to play and wonderful playground equipment. The entire place screams “We love children!”

But that is not the most impressive part. What stands out more than any of that is the care provided by the nannies. When a child is wet or messy they are quickly changed. When an infant cries, the caregivers drop their tasks to give attention. And the care provided is done with joy and playfulness.

These differences produce remarkable results in the children. They are open, friendly, and joyful. Our team was overwhelmed with hugs, kisses, and playful giggles. I laid on the ground laughing as toddlers piled on top of me shrieking for joy. And children who entered their walls with deep wounds have shown great progress and healing.

And as I sat loving these wonderful little ones, I was struck with the awareness that Hermano Pedro could be like Amor del Nino.  It, too, could become a place of hope and healing. It, too, could be filled with laughter. And it would only require a change of mindset.

At the heart of the problem at HP is the failure to recognize the treasure of each child. Instead of being viewed as priceless human beings created in the image of God, they are viewed as damaged goods. As a result, they are often allowed to sit in their own feces and urine and to lie in their cages 20 hours a day with little human interaction. They are treated as objects that need to be fed and cleaned instead of divine sparks to be cultivated and loved.

If only the administrator of Hermano Pedro could see each of those children through the eyes of Jesus, everything would change. And, over time, HP and Amor del Nino would become very much alike.

Lord, please move hearts and change attitudes to make that a reality.