The Value of a Human Life
“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:30-31
One of the blessings of my work with the Luke Society is the opportunity to sometimes see things from a completely different perspective. Listening to the stories told by Christians who were raised in a different culture and environment than mine, often not knowing Christ until later in life, has given me new appreciation for aspects of my own faith.
An example occurred when listening to the testimony of Luke Society ministry director, Dr. Xu Zhang, from Ashan, China. Dr. Xu was a young orthopedic surgeon beginning a very promising career. He was married with a young daughter when he suffered a tragic injury resulting in quadriplegia. As an atheist he had believed that his value, his worth, was based on what he was able to achieve. When he lost the ability to practice medicine, let alone walk or feed himself, he believed he was no longer of any worth. His wife felt the same way and promptly divorced him. It wasn’t until he read the book by Joni Eareckson Tada and accepted Christ as his Savior that he began to understand that his worth was not based on his abilities or accomplishments. He realized that he was a child of God, made in the image of God with intrinsic value based on the fact that he was loved by God.
His change in attitude was dramatic. He went from being hopeless and sullen to excited and joyful. Nurses who cared for him could not believe the change and wanted to know what could bring about such a transformation. This lead to Dr. Xu translating Joni’s book into Chinese, which lead to meeting many Christian physicians from the US, which finally lead to partnership with the Luke Society.
As the Luke Society has come alongside Dr. Xu in his ministry, his understanding and perspective of the value of human life has been pivotal. Dr. Xu and his staff show compassion for children and adults affected by cerebral palsy and other mental and physical disabilities. As Dr. Xu and his staff have started programs for their basic education and health needs along with other expressions of love and concern, the families have been deeply impacted, often asking what motivates this kind of concern for the disabled. It provides a wonderful opportunity to explain our motivation, to explain about God, His love for us, and His gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Even as Christians, we can fall into the trap of placing our identity and our value in the temporal things: our career, family, abilities, possessions, etc. It is important to recognize where our true value lies: in Christ.
I have had the experience of seeing colleagues in medicine approach retirement and struggle with the loss of identity as a physician. I experienced this to some extent when I left my medical practice to serve as Executive Director of the Luke Society. I had not realized how much of my identity I placed in my profession. I had limited my self-worth by placing too much value on how others saw me, and on what I had to offer through my medical skills.
The wonderful thing is that our value in Christ overshadows any value we place on ourselves or others. It dwarfs any value based on our accomplishments, abilities or appearance. And it is not diminished by retirement, accident or disability. We can celebrate with Dr. Xu the joy of recognizing that we are loved and identified by God as His children, valued for eternity.
Wrede Vogel, MD