I am not going to pretend to tell you that I think I have
all of the answers to such a sensitive subject. One of my best friends and
mentors in ministry took his life several years ago. He had suffered from
bipolar disorder and chronic depression for years. He had been suicidal on
occasions that caused periods of hospitalization. Suicide is not a black and
white issue. There are people who take their lives who are so fragile mentally
and emotionally that it would be difficult for any human being to say what was
happening in the moment they chose to kill themselves.
For any person who is reading this article that has been affected
by cancer, or some other terminal disease, or for any person out there who has
had someone close to them choose to end their life, I want you to know that I
love you. I could never understand how much you have suffered and how difficult
it has been to go through such a terrible experience. Please understand that what
you are about to read is being expressed for the purpose of pleasing God and
promoting mental and physical and spiritual health for all people. Life is very
precious. It is God’s greatest gift to man both now and eternally. This is why
the issue of ending life is so important. Do we have the right to choose what
day we die?
Arguments and discussions about specific situations can go
on and on concerning this topic. Without a doubt, I would never think it was
morally right to force someone to try to keep themselves alive by unnatural
means. But I want to simply address the particular case at hand. Brittany
Maynard has chosen doctor-assisted death for November 1, 2014. She moved to
Oregon because it is one of 5 states that allow it. She has rejected other forms
of medication and treatment. In the meantime she has been traveling and
spending the last few months and weeks with the people she loves.
The scenario in which one chooses early termination of life has
been thrust upon us recently through the tragic death of actor Robin Williams.
So many things were written about that episode, that I chose to write
absolutely nothing. In his case, nobody would say he died heroically. Rather,
he was a victim of mental illness and he needed help. For many his iconic
superstardom swept the morality of the issue aside while people celebrated his
achievements. I enjoyed many of the things he brought to the entertainment
world, but I also realize that putting people on a pedestal is dangerous and
can be spiritually unhealthy. Our determination should be that of allegiance to
the one Man who ever lived perfectly. Jesus Christ is not only Lord, but our
only ideal example, role model, and hero.
There are several moral questions that trouble my mind in
Maynard’s case. Is it ok to be euthanized while refusing forms of treatment,
even if we have been told there is no cure? Is it ok to accept defeat and not
battle for earthly life as much as is within us when we know this world is not
our home anyway? Is it ok to refuse to suffer any pain that may come to us in
life or death? Is there a difference between what Maynard is doing and people
who choose not to be resuscitated, or cancer patients who accept a morphine-induced
coma at the last stages of their illness? I believe so.
The difference is faith. Faith believes in unseen things
(Heb. 11:1). Without faith, pleasing God is impossible (Heb. 11:6). What if
even though no one has ever survived this disease, Brittany Maynard was the
first? What if November 1 rolls around and on that particular day she is
feeling healthy and strong? What if the experience of suffering caused her to
rely on spiritual things over physical things, and helped her to change her
mind about what she really wants to do? What if this suffering changed her future
eternally? I have some current relationships with a few very close friends who
I love dearly who are dying at this moment from terminal illnesses. They do not
know how long they have. Some have days, maybe weeks to live. But they have not
chosen the day of their death. Are they not also, “dying with dignity”? I would
like to tell you that I believe beyond all others they are. You see, they
believe in God, but they will not play God. They trust in God, and they know
that we are not supposed to “die on our terms.” After all, are we even supposed
to live on our terms (1 Cor. 6:19-20)?
I am afraid that we are living in a world that is progressively
devaluing life. I have heard no mention of God in this case at hand. My heart
goes out to this young lady and her family. On some level, but admittedly not
completely, I understand their dilemma. I was 31 when I found out about my
cancer. I had a wife and two small children. I did not know what was going to
happen to me. But I chose life, not death. By the grace of God ten years later
I am still here. But if I had not lived, I would not have chosen euthanasia.
Because God is the giver of life, and God alone has power over death. And
whether I live or die, I am the Lord’s. And I accept His will for my life, and
also for my death, no matter the suffering.
“For I consider that
the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us.” – Romans 8:18
“Therefore we do not
lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is
being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,
is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do
not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen
are eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Excellent article.
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