If you’ve known me very long, you probably know that I really don’t do well with “medical” stuff (if it’s not an emergency). Listening to descriptions of how you broke your arm and the bone was sticking out will probably get a funny reaction and asking me if I want to see pictures of the inside of your stomach after it has been scoped will get an immediate “No.” So, some have wondered why it is that I donate blood and am on the marrow donor list, and have chosen to be an organ and tissue donor.
A few years ago I had a discussion with a coworker about the purpose and value donating bodily organs, etc. It was a rather lengthy discussion. In the end, he basically said that we’re all going to die sometime and he didn’t see it as worthwhile to necessarily extend the lifetime of an individual. There were a lot of reasons behind it and his reasoning made sense.
But it made me think about why I got involved in donating and whether there was a purpose to continue. After some time of considering it, I came to the realization that knowing Jesus is the most important part of my life. If someone does not know Jesus and they are facing death, it must be very sad. But what if they have an opportunity to live a longer life? For some, possibly, that may lead to a new opportunity to get to know Him and His Grace.
3 comments:
I've always been VERY pro-donation, mainly because it just makes sense to me. Why not give someone else some hope? I've never thought about organ donation in this way; thanks for the thought.
I guess my thoughts are that every life has value and impact on the lives around them. By not doing something to sustain that life, are we devaluing that impact? It is ultimately up to God whether or not that person's body will receive the organ and live. Having used "medical means" to prolong the life of a loved one and have it not work just emphasizes for me that God is still sovereign. Also knowing someone that is alive because of "medial means" and loving him, I can't discredit technology that allows that...
Perhaps this coworker has not experienced how painful it is to lose someone close when there may have been a way to save them. Does he also refrain from going to the Emergency Room?
we do organ donors, etc.
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