A life of Grace is not easy

Some people think grace is the easy way out. They think it means holding no one accountable; that it's a free ride. They couldn't be more wrong. Walking a life of grace is the hardest thing of all.

Living under law means everything is clear, black and white. Those people are right and those over there are wrong. Law puts clear boundaries between the people who think like you and the people who don't. Grace blurs the lines. It takes away the easy answers and leaves you wholly dependent on someone else; a much higher authority. It means finding a path to acceptance without necessarily approving.

I started writing this while on business in Scotland and it's taken me a while to get my thoughts clear.

There was a significant moral debate going on in the United Kingdom regarding assisted suicide. Two UK citizens have traveled to Switzerland where a medical clinic provides the means for people to end their lives, regardless if their condition is immediately terminal. One was a young man in his 20s that was paralyzed from the neck down in a rugby training exercise. The second was a man in his 50s with a neurological condition that affects his ability to breath.

As can be expected, right-to-life groups and, specifically, Christians in the UK are protesting the decisions and are pressuring the government to take action. (Hey, it's not just America!) The lines are pretty well drawn in this discussion, just as they are in the case of abortion, gay lifestyles, global warming, etc. People are either for or against to varying degrees. But grace makes that determination much more difficult for the individual. Here's what I mean.

I am morally opposed to suicide, assisted or otherwise. My immediate reaction to the concept is that taking your life is selfish and cowardly. I'm probably not alone. There is a moral question on taking a human life, even if it is your own. But that is not an absolute position. We've all heard the stories of soldiers falling on hand grenades to save their comrades. The soldier that does that is killing himself. Nothing selfish or cowardly about that, is there? That's selfless and brave. So a decision to end your life is not always right or wrong

The young rugby player said he did not want to live "a second-class life." The older man said he did not want to be a burden on his family. Now both of those reasons are questionable.

Was the young man saying people in wheelchairs are second class people? That's insensitive and an insult to handicapped people, isn't it? What's probably more accurate is that he defined his life by his ability to play sports and now he lacked definition. Or is he correct when he sees the way handicapped people live and was just being realistic.

The older man apparently thinks his family is incapable of making a sacrifice for his life, or he doesn't think he is worth the trouble. Shouldn't he check with his family to see if they feel he's a burden? Of course, they aren't going to say it, but he should check. Or maybe he knows the financial and emotional limits of his family and he's absolutely selfless in the decision.

How can we know the real reason for their decisions? Well, we have to be omniscient. I'm not. Are you? In fact, I only know one person who is. And he usually doesn't let me in on that kind of information.

If you live a life directed by law, you don't have to ask those questions. The whole thing is black and white; right and wrong. In a life of grace, you can't make that decision. But you can ask a question and you can take an action.

When I read the articles about both men, I thought first how said life can be for some people. The young man was vibrant and committed to a sport that he loved and that was taken from him before he could completely explore his passion. The older man was a scientist and his curiosity curtailed by an inability to breathe unassisted. I felt for them. I also grieved that they no longer saw life, in any form, worth living. And then I asked, "Are the ready for what comes next?"

I didn't have an answer for that, anymore than I had a clear understanding of their motives. But I did have something I could be sure of.

I asked God to send someone to both of these men before they committed suicide to tell them that they were loved, that they were forgiven, and that, if they wanted, they could spend eternity with Him.

In a life of grace, that may be all we can do and be assured that He will do whatever it takes to make that happen. In some cases, He might even send me. Knowing that call could come anytime for me makes my life worth living everyday. And I don't even have to get morally outraged. What a time and energy saver that is.