Love Never Fails.

When I heard about Terry Schiavo’s plight and how heartbroken her parents were, I silently prayed that God would send somebody to help them. I had NO idea that my son would be among those who would respond to the call. Neither did I know of the extent to which he would go. On the day that he was arrested he made a statement that was heard around the world. He said, “If you’re not on Terry’s side, you’re not on God’s side.”
I’m not saying that there aren’t two sides to every story. This is our side; I know there are others.
I still recall the horrible incident in the news more than 20 years ago, when a policeman used his firearm to hold off hospital attendants so that he could remove his baby girl from life-support after she had been rendered practically lifeless by swallowing part of a birthday balloon. He had been told that if she lived she would be a vegetable. So with gun in hand and tears flowing down his face, he held her in his arms until she died, because he didn’t want her to be faced with that kind of existence.
Fifty years ago, Rockford had two hospitals that were adjacent. I still recall the incident of a Rockford woman who in the throws of her labor pains, became disgruntled with one hospital because they either didn’t believe her baby was ready to come, or for some other reason were being, as the story is told, “particularly insensitive”. That woman walked across the parking lot to the other hospital where her baby was born practically on the spot. That baby was my little sister, and the woman was my mother, and that incident has always helped me to believe that hospitals are not always right.
Terry Schiavo’s feeding tube was removed once before; however it was restored by the order of the Governor of the State of Florida. If I were Terry’s mother, I would like to say that I would have never given them a second chance to remove that tube, that I would have found another place for her, hopefully, where they believed a little bit more in the sanctity of life, and were able to help me fight for that belief, especially in this particular case.
For my baby I would like to say that I would not only reach out to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, but I would grab hold of his ankle and hold on so that he would have to drag me with him every step he took until he helped us. But one can never say for certain exactly how they would react in any given set of circumstances because things can happen so fast that a person can hardly have time to react in a way that they would expect themselves to.
But when things become unsure, there is one thing that remains the same. There is a rock upon which you can stand, in and through every storm and shifting sand. He is a healer and a deliverer and if you find him, if you really, really, really find him you will find healing and deliverance, because that is what he is, and it’s what he does.
My prayer for you is that through this story, you may find that Jesus, who is love, and “love” never fails. God bless.