Surviving

Life is a gift; it can be fragile, and certainly temporal, but as we consider our own lives, we can make
sure that we are good stewards of what He has entrusted to us. James 4 states:
12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit";
14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

We have to make sure that we are not taking our lives for granted nor denying our Creator who has given us breath and who sustains us.  He has made you unique and special and He desires for us to have a relationship with Him through Christ and to grow in Him.  He has tremendous plans for us and is able to do, as the Scripture says, "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think."  The Bible says we are complete in Him and He wants to express Himself through His people.

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In Isaiah 44, we can read a powerful passage that underscores the greatness of God and the value of life. It states:
23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel.
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: "I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself...

One of the by-products of the current cultural conversation that we are having about the abortion issue is perhaps a greater appreciation of the miracle of life.  With lawmakers in New York, Virginia, and now Illinois attempting to strengthen laws to allow late-term abortions, a very small infant can send a huge message.

Her name is Saybie, who was born about five months ago in San Diego.  ChristianHeadlines.com  reports that Saybie "went home five months after being born weighing only 8.6 ounces. It is believed to be a record for the smallest-ever surviving baby."  Saybie is now over five pounds!

Trisha Khaleghi of Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns, where Saybie was born, said, "For comparison, at birth she was roughly the same weight as a large apple or a child’s juice box..."  She was delivered at 23 weeks, 3 days gestation, just under two weeks over the record for an preemie to survive. 

The article says:

The survival rate for babies born at 23 weeks is about 20 percent, a doctor told the Washington Post.

“She’s a miracle,” Kim Norby, a nurse who cared for Saybie, said in a video released by the hospital.

Author and Fox News contributor Rachel Campos-Duffy, whose husband, Sean, is a member of Congress, stated, according to Christian Headlines:

“23 week old premature baby is thriving & has left hospital to live at home,” she wrote on Twitter. “Take a look at her picture. So fragile & precious. There’s no denying her humanity. These medical miracles are why Americans are rethinking the abortion debate.”

Penny Young Nance of Concerned Women for America wrote at FoxNews.com:

Clearly, sweet Saybie was not just a clump of cells, nor was she ever “a part of the mother’s body.” Saybie was and is a distinct and precious human being with intrinsic value. And now she has the opportunity to grow up and hopefully live a full life for many decades to come.

Reports say that doctors performed an emergency cesarean section because Saybie’s mother’s life was in danger; yet, precious Saybie and her mother survived.

Sadly, 31 states currently allow an abortionist to take the life of other babies at the same stage in development as Saybie. Why do the lives of their children not matter?

Good words for us today as we consider this precious little life, a little girl who cannot speak yet, but who has communicated powerfully.  What does Saybie say to us?

Well, for one thing, we can continue to consider this: Don't take life for granted.  We are created in the image of the Most High God; He is the One who has ordained our lives.

We can also remember to treasure the moments we have on earth.  Life is but a vapor, the Bible says, and we can appreciate this gift that God has given to us - the opportunity to live for His glory.

We can also be challenged to talk and think about the miracle of life.  I certainly think that is going on in America today.  We are considering what Scripture says and what science confirms about human life.

Saybie's story is a survival story.  Perhaps she will be sharing that story for years to come.  And, perhaps you have a survival story, too - what has God enabled you to survive?  You may have survived while you were very young or you have been delivered from tragedy.  Perhaps the enemy has attacked you so relentlessly that you have felt defeated, yet God, in His love and faithfulness, intervened.  If you are a survivor, give God the praise and be sure to tell what He has done.