Joy in life and death
Dr. David Menton's talk on the DVD
Fearfully & Wonderfully Made explains in detail the beauty of our beginning. Many people, Christians included, speak of some pregnancies as accidents or mistakes. As Dr. Menton explained all the processes that are necessary for a human being to even come to the stage of conception, it became clear that this could never be so. God has designed the human body with the intention that conception will occur. If one process is not working properly conception becomes unlikely or impossible. The parents may not have planned a baby, but God did.
After conception, human survival is just as remarkable. The walls of the womb must be hospitable for the child to implant. Unfortunately, some birth control devices including “the pill” not only interfere with pre-conception processes but also change the lining of the womb so that the tiny human being is much less likely to be able to implant. Considering this, it is even more amazing that we are here! The processes of a child’s conception and implantation happen without a woman’s knowledge. The beauty of the child’s beginning, and often its premature ending in the womb, is unknown to her. When a child dies before birth, whether the death is known or very early and unknown, we often mourn the person less than someone who dies after birth. This is not because the person is less valuable to God. It is because we know him or her very little.
For most of people, the beauty of a child’s beginning starts to sink in with the first ultrasound. As one uncle excitedly declared to me, “there is a little person in there”! The suspense and excitement builds as the birth draws closer. In my family, no one has found out whether they are having a boy or a girl through ultrasound. Even my sister, who is having twins, has decided to keep it a surprise. The anticipation is wonderful! After birth, the beginning person is still largely a mystery. What a joy it is to watch them grow. Wispy strands of hair, which never seem to grow much, somehow turn into ringlets. Chubby legs become lean. The person becomes known, and all the more precious.
Endings, like beginnings, can be beautiful. A life well lived will lead to a blessed end. My Grandad is an example of this. Granddad spent much of his life serving others, including as a missionary. Close to the end of his life, it was beautiful to sit beside his bedside and hear some of his recollections. A hard worker all his life, Granddad rarely stopped to talk. Yet here he was, in pain and confined to a hospital bed, with time to talk. He told me his favourite Psalm, number 139, and I read it to him. He shared special experiences from his missionary days, including his close friendship with a native man in PNG.
At his funeral, his children and grandchildren rose up to speak during an open sharing time. Their comments showed the foundations of Granddad’s life. As Mum said, Granddad often spoke of how wonderful it is that God accepts us not for what we have done, but because of Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins. Dad spoke of Granddad’s great humility. While some struggle at their parent's funerals to find good things to say, Dad struggled to fit in all he wanted to say of Granddad’s character: reliable, dependable, diligent, gentle, loving, serving, compassionate. The funeral was a celebration. Living well means being Christ focused and servant hearted. I am grateful for a grandfather who demonstrated that such a life leads to a beautiful end.
This post was written for the Carnival of Beauty. This week's topic is The Beauty of Beginnings and Endings.
