California is currently considering right-to-die legislation that would allow terminally-ill patients to decide how and when they die. This legislation is not new. It has made the rounds for nearly 25 years without being approved.
California’s northern neighbor Oregon, on the other hand, has had legislation like this since 1997. You may remember Brittany Maynard, a cancer victim, who last year moved from California to Oregon in order to take advantage of the Oregon law. Suffering from terminal brain cancer, she chose to end her life at age 29.
Stories like this remind us that life can put us in tough positions, forcing us to make hard decisions. The Bible doesn’t shy away from the realities of life and death. In fact, it prepares us for them, challenging us to face them soberly. Consider The Message for This Day from Ecclesiastes:
Ecclesiastes 9:4-10
Still, anyone selected out for life has hope, for, as they say, “A living dog is better than a dead lion.” The living at least know something, even if it’s only that they’re going to die. But the dead know nothing and get nothing. They’re a minus that no one remembers. Their loves, their hates, yes, even their dreams, are long gone. There’s not a trace of them left in the affairs of this earth.
Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don’t skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
This is your last and only chance at it,
For there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think
In the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed.