Spiritual and physical starvation

Psalm 63, 1: Oh God you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.



This is yesterdays psalm of the bible in one year curriculum I am reading with a group from my church. It spoke to me strongly yesterday, but today, as I was browsing some of my favorite blogs, it struck me hard - in a different sense.

People have condemned a woman to die. Terri Schiavo is sentenced to starvation and dehydration. Not for any criminal offense (which would not lead to a cruel death of this kind!). No, people have decided that her life, the way it is, cannot be worth living. Terri suffered brain-damage in the early 1990s and has since been cared for in a medical institution. She is not in a vegetative state and does not need life-support machines. But she receives food and liquids through a feeding tube. Since early on, her husband has tried to have this tube removed - which does not mean the physical removing of the tube, but putting a stop to giving Terri food and drink. For some more information see my post the value of life: or who can decide if someone wants to die.
After a temporary order not to remove the feeding tube yet and attempts to save Terri by her parents and politicians, Terri's feeding tube was removed yesterday. Her parents are even forbidden to try to feed her without using the tube (she might be able to receive food the regular way)! They were not even allowed to be with her anymore, at least not for the removal of the tube. According to Terri's lawyer, Terri started crying inconsolably when the lawyer informed her about the removal of the tube.

Terri will suffer a slow and painful death. We all know how it feels to be hungry or thirsty. But we can help ourselves or receive help from our loved ones. Terri cannot help herself and her loved ones are barred from helping her. Where have we come to? Where has society come to that this can be possible? We can only cry out like the Psalmist. Seek God earnestly and ask Him to come and help. To help this woman who is not only hungry and thirsty in a spiritual way like we are, but who is suffering from actual hunger and thirst because someone decided her life is not worth living...

For more concern, information and updates go and read allthings2all, the Wittenberg Gate,this post at walking circumspectly and this post at the evangelical outpost, the links they give and the comment sections.