Culture

School is in full swing for Jeffrey and the B's start next week. We had "orientation" today for them (the B's) and it was too cute. It is much easier sending them off (the more kids you have). I bawled when Jeffrey went to K3. I might just drink champagne when the twins go!

I started a new Bible study this fall, and it never ceases to amaze me how culturally relevant the Bible is. How wonderful it is to have a standard of truth to live life by. I am studying the book of Daniel (Beth Moore - love her) - and week one hit on an issue that has never been more relevant than TODAY.

Daniel (an Israelite) was taken into captivity and taken to Babylon. We were contrasting Babylonian culture with our current culture to look at a God view of the world vs. a "World" view of the world. (that is to say, what does the Bible say vs. what does current culture say.)


When Daniel was taken captive, the pagan king had commanded a "certain type" of person be captured to be put into service:
Daniel 1:4 says..."young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well-informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve."
How culturally relevant is THAT? Isn't that what we are all about now-a-days? We like 'em young, smart, and good-looking. Nothing else will really do. We don't want to be bothered, embarassed, or (my favorite) burdened by anyone who is not without physical defect.

We were asked in our study to share an outrageous example of this. I thought about my own desire to be young, pretty, and smart. I thought of the "extreme makeover" show - and our intensity to want physical perfection. I thought about our intense private schools with advanced curriculums to give our children an intellectual "edge". I thought of the numerous times I have considered plastic surgery to combat aging. The examples can go on and on.

But what I shared is that we put such premium on looks and intelligence, that we are willing to kill those who are not that way. Are you shocked by that statement? It doesn't sit well with me either, but the truth is we abort babies every day because they have Down Syndrome. In fact 80-90% of women who get the news, choose to abort. The fear of Down Syndrome gives so many the ammunition they need to make a horrible choice. The Babylonian culture is alive today in America and across the world. We preach that youth is prime and old is out. Smart is in, and we somehow thing we are doing ourselves and society a favor by not having a baby with an extra chromosone. What a shame that we lose the richness and value that our special needs children have to offer our lives.

I don't intend to sound self-righteous and please believe me when I say that because I have personally had to re-define this value in my own heart. But what had to happen was that I had to look at my own heart through the truth of God's Word - and what I saw in my own heart was that I like them young, smart and pretty as well. That is an ugly moment. The truth of God's word came alive when I held Andrew in my arms. As I fell in love with him - in spite of AND because of his extra little chromosone - I began to see ALL people as God sees them - made in His image - and that makes us all precious indeed.

Value cannot be about youth. Value cannot be about intelligence. Value cannot be about looks. Value is about our souls. And if a soul is worth Jesus dying for, THEN it has value, and it is my prayer that our culture will not continue to define what is right and what is wrong. May the truth be that all babies have value and all children - and all men - and all women have value - Lord, make THAT truth of your Word become known. If I've learned anything in the past twenty months since Andrew as born, I've learned the word precious, and as I sing to all my babies as night, "red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in Your sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world." Yes, they are all precious indeed.