I
And not
only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that
suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character,
and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us,
because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit that has been given to us.
Romans 5:3-5
Most of you know that my
dad died recently. He was a great worrier and one day he said to me
that that maybe he didn't have enough faith, because if he did he
wouldn't worry so much.
He may have been a
worrier, but he lived with courage and he died with courage. In the
military he earned two bronze medals, but he told me that those last
days were harder than battle. He was 83 years old. He had a living
will and durable power of attorney for health care matters in case
he was not competent to make end-of-life decisions for himself, but
in the end -- despite some confusion -- he was able to tell the
doctors what he wanted and he died at home with my brothers beside
him.
While I was sitting in his
pastor's office planning the funeral service, she told me of another
member of their congregation had recently been in an accident. She
was 82, and whether she had a stroke and hit a tree or whether the
cerebral hemorrhage was from the accident, it is hard to say. She
had never discussed the end of her life with her daughter.
So now the daughter is
faced with a decision she wished she would not have to make: whether
to let the doctors put in a tracheotomy for long-term breathing or
to "let her go." Doctors told her there was no hope of recovery.
They are wrong. There is
hope. As Christians we do not make our decisions hoping only for a
few more pitiful minutes in this life. We have hope of much more.
Christian hope is a sure hope of what we know is to come.
We as Christians are good
stewards of what God has given us, including our time. We also care
enough for others that we do the things we need to do with courage.
In this day when the
majority of our health care dollars are spent at the end of our
lives when the quality is poor, I believe that every Christian
should have a living will and designate someone to make decisions
for them. That someone should know the wishes of the person so the
burden of the decision is not left up to someone else.
If we are good stewards we
care for the resources and more importantly for the people God has
given us in our lives.
I write this column
knowing that I have not been the good steward that my dad was. I
have not written my living will. I will do so this week. It may
seem different, as I am only 51, but if I get hit by a truck it will
only be harder for someone else to have to make the decision. So it
is more important that I not leave that decision to those who are
stunned and grieving.
My dad was an alcoholic
and stayed sober for thirty years. Maybe he learned the way to live
from AA who pray a prayer written by a Lutheran pastor.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference. Amen
