Thoughtful Thursday...

Occasionally, I like to get online and read about what is going on in the world. Yesterday, was one of those days. I've been thrown into a spiraling thought process since then. I attempt to hash them out here:

As I scanned the headlines of BBC News, Ireland's mention quickly caught my attention. I then searched online for the Irish Times to find this article. Oh, the many layers of morality, ethics, politics, and religion tangled and mixed up in this tragic event. What's right, what's wrong?

I don't quite know what to think or say about this, except that I'm saddened by it. I am at a loss for the correct words to express my thoughts. At first I only know my emotion, then the deluge of questions. 

How rare is an even like this is? And, for it to happen in such a country as Ireland, in the Republic no less? A country already marked by and surviving through a tangled web morality, religion, and government.

There is something inside of me crying "Injustice! There is something that should have been done!" An attitude of being entitled to life. Truth: we're not. "Why couldn't they do this or that to save them both even?" It is death that I am crying out against. It is death that I, and others involved with this story now, am enraged by. Death.  

The law established in Ireland is to never impose death upon another, regardless of how far developed he or she is, and yet in keeping this law, a law with life-giving intention, not one; but two lives ended. The contradiction here is perplexing and overwhelming. 

Who are we, the created, to say who may live or die? Such a decision, or choice, seems much to large and overwhelming for us, the created. Shoes much too big to fill.  

It is natural to be enraged by death, to hate it. It's in our very being to desire life. We were created with such a desire and it's meant to be fulfilled...

My initials thoughts and emotions have faded, the dust is beginning to settle. As it lands, I'm questioning the media: Is this story now being cast in a particular light? Is this being blasted all over the news to stir the rallies? To push for a more "modern" rule? 

Either way, I'm saddened by this, and praying for Ireland.  

Rest...

ndeed, the past two to three days have been trying and tiring. I'm not great at making big decisions for myself. I labor over them, fret, pray, and evaluate all foreseeable options or solutions. I'm like a crock pot it seems. So imagine someone like me making a decision for another human being, one who under normal circumstances would have the ability to make it for themselves, in a matter of hours... Phew, it's made me tired. This short storm, for the moment has calmed. All I want to do is sit on my couch in my comfy fleece pants and a sweatshirt. I would not say no to a hearty bowl of chocolate ice cream either... Life goes on though, and I have a job to do, work to finish for the day. So, I'm taking this moment to decompress a little bit, exhale some. Then the Lord brings the following hymn to mind, and as I read through all of the lyrics, because I can't remember it all verbatim. Tears come to my eyes, and I'm so thankful for this sweet reminder, this sweet truth:

 Psalm 62

"My soul finds rest in God alone, My Rock and my salvation, A fortress strong against my foes, And I will not be shaken. Though lips may bless and hearts may curse, And lies like arrows pierce me, I’ll fix my heart on righteousness, I’ll look to Him who hears me.

O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God.

Find rest, my soul, in God alone Amid the world’s temptations; When evil seeks to take a hold I’ll cling to my salvation. Though riches come and riches go, Don’t set your heart upon them; The fields of hope in which I sow Are harvested in heaven.

O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God.

I’ll set my gaze on God alone, And trust in Him completely; With every day pour out my soul, And He will prove His mercy. Though life is but a fleeting breath, A sigh too brief to measure, My King has crushed the curse of death And I am His forever.

O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God."

I still want some chocolate :) but I can set my gaze on God alone, and trust in Him completely...O praise Him, Hallelujah.