Life​—A Gift From God

TWENTY-FOUR hours a day, our heart pumps precious blood through our body. We fall asleep, and our lungs continue to expand and contract. We eat a meal, and the food is automatically digested. All of this takes place every day, with little or no conscious effort on our part. These mysterious and wondrous processes, so easily taken for granted, are part of the gift we call life. In a sense it is a gift that can be called miraculous.

Consider the process of human conception and birth. Although the body normally rejects foreign tissue, the womb makes an exception for a fertilized egg. Instead of rejecting the growing embryo as foreign tissue, it nourishes and protects it until it is ready to emerge as a baby. Without the womb’s ability to make this crucial exception to the rule of rejecting foreign tissue, human birth would be impossible.

Even so, life for a newborn baby would be short were it not for a development that takes place in the womb when a fetus is only about four months old. At that time it begins sucking its thumb, exercising the muscles that will later enable it to feed at its mother’s breasts. And this is just one of many life-and-death matters that are resolved long before a baby’s birth.

While a fetus is in the womb, there is a hole in the wall of its heart. This hole, however, automatically closes at birth. Additionally, a large blood vessel that bypasses the lungs while the fetus is in the womb automatically constricts at birth; blood now goes to the lungs, where it can be oxygenated as baby takes its first breath.

All of this is just the beginning. Throughout life, a series of elegantly designed systems (such as the respiratory, circulatory, nervous, and endocrine systems) will perform and coordinate their functions with an efficiency that staggers human comprehension​—all for the perpetuation of life. No wonder that an ancient writer said with reference to God: “I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, as my soul is very well aware.”​—Psalm 139:14.

Clearly, the writer of those beautiful words did not believe that life is simply the product of blind, evolutionary chance or accident. If such were the case, we would have no real obligations or responsibilities as to how we should use our lives. However, the mechanisms of life clearly reflect design, and design requires a designer. The Bible sets out this principle: “Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God.” (Hebrews 3:4) It is therefore vital to “know that Jehovah is God. It is he that has made us, and not we ourselves.” (Psalm 100:3) Yes, life is more than a benign accident; it is a gift from God himself.​—Psalm 36:9.

Such being the case, what obligations do we have toward the Giver of life? How does he expect us to use our lives? These and related questions will be considered in the next article.

Appreciating the Precious Gift of Life

LIFE​—what a precious possession! Without it we can do nothing. Once it is lost, it cannot be restored by any human means. If our life is in danger, we do everything within reason to preserve it. Why, some will even call for superhuman aid when in distress!

We are reminded of the Bible account of a ship that was caught up in a powerful storm at sea. When it was about to be wrecked, “the mariners began to fear and to call for aid, each one to his god.” Later, they one and all called out to the true God: “Ah, now, O Jehovah, may we, please, not perish.” The Bible account also says: “They kept hurling out the articles that were in the ship to the sea, in order to lighten it of them.”​—Jonah 1:4-6, 14; compare Acts 27:18, 19.

Those sailors were even ready to sacrifice cherished material possessions in an effort to preserve their lives. We can replace material possessions​—but not life. And because we instinctively cherish our lives, we recoil from danger. We feed, clothe, and nourish our bodies. We seek medical treatment when we are sick.

Nevertheless, the Giver of life requires more of us than simply following our self-protective instincts. After all, life is a priceless gift, and it comes from the most important Personage in the entire universe. Out of sincere appreciation for both the Giver and the gift, should we not cherish life? And would that not include having a regard for the lives of others?

It should not surprise us, then, that the Law Jehovah God gave the nation of Israel included commandments designed to protect the lives and health of others. (Exodus 21:29; Deuteronomy 22:8) Christians today should likewise be safety conscious. For example, if you have youngsters in your home, do you carelessly leave within reach such things as beads, pins, or sharp objects that could cause severe harm to a child innocently playing with or swallowing them? Are dangerous chemicals and medicines stored out of the reach of children? If water is spilled on the floor, are you quick to clean it up so as to prevent an accident? Do you see to the immediate repair of faulty appliances? Does your vehicle receive regular maintenance? Are you a safe driver? If you really appreciate the preciousness of life, you will be moved to take reasonable precautions in these and similar areas.

Sad to say, though, some take even their own life for granted. For example, who today does not know that cigarette smoking is unhealthy? Yet, millions are enslaved by the habit, while their health deteriorates each time they inhale the poisonous smoke. Others abuse drugs, and still others alcohol, all to their detriment. AIDS is a killer disease for which there is no known cure. But many could have avoided contracting the disease if they had shunned sexual immorality, certain kinds of drug abuse, and blood transfusions. What a tragic lack of appreciation for life!​—Romans 1:26, 27; 2 Corinthians 7:1.

Change Is Possible!

Those who appreciate their Grand Creator, Jehovah, have a powerful reason to view life as precious. Life is his sacred gift. They are therefore willing to make whatever changes are necessary to treat it as a divine gift. Consider the experience of Kwaku, a teacher in Ghana. A reckless alcoholic, he was throwing his life away.

Kwaku recalls: “I tried to force my wife to respect me, which often led to heated arguments and fights, particularly when I was drunk. Because of overindulgence in alcohol, I was often broke, and I frequently defaulted in providing money for the support of the family. Understandably, this irritated my wife very much. Whenever I ran out of funds (and this happened very often), I did anything I could to support my habit. Once I went so far as to make personal use of moneys I had collected from my pupils for the purpose of registering them for a public exam. I went on a drinking spree and also bought drinks for my drinking companions. The day of reckoning soon caught up with me. Had it not been for the timely intervention of my headmaster, I would have lost my job.

“My life was a mess. I was embarrassed, but I soon got over it. Then I started developing suicidal thoughts because I felt I was a failure in life. Still, I could not break free from alcohol addiction. But when one day in a bar I got involved in a drunken brawl and was stabbed, it painfully dawned on me that my love for alcohol would some day cost me my life.

“All along, Jehovah’s Witnesses had periodically been visiting our house, trying to interest us in the Bible. My wife and I always dodged them because we thought they were a nuisance. On one occasion, though, I decided to listen to them out of sympathy. A study of the Bible soon opened my eyes to the wonderful prospect of living forever in God’s new system. The more I studied the Bible with the help of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the deeper my appreciation grew for Jehovah as our Life-Giver and for his gift of life, and the more impressed I became with the practicality of the Bible’s counsel. This further encouraged me to clean up my life. This was not easy, as I continually had to resist the tot [liquor] as well as my old companions. Jehovah, the Hearer of prayer, saw the determination of my heart and heard me.a

“My wife, although not one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, now holds me and my religion in high esteem because of the great transformation that she observes in my life and in our marital relationship. Our neighbors no longer need to intervene in fights between my wife and me. I cherish the peace of mind I now enjoy. Surely, appreciating Jehovah God as our Life-Giver, adopting his viewpoint on the preciousness of life, and obeying his instructions on how to live is the only worthwhile way of life.”

God’s Offer of Eternal Life

Thousands, like Kwaku, have been helped by Jehovah’s Witnesses to “put on the new personality which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty.” (Ephesians 4:24) They have come to appreciate not only their present life but also the hope of life eternal in an earthly paradise. The Bible promises that in that Paradise of God’s making, no inhabitant of the earth will again experience the gnawing pangs of hunger, for “Jehovah of armies will certainly make for all the peoples . . . a banquet of well-oiled dishes.”​—Isaiah 25:6.

At present, life, although a wonderful gift, is only temporary. Everyone faces death, and what a traumatic blow death is! To watch someone you love disappear from among the living into the stillness of the grave is very distressing, to say the least. But under God’s Kingdom, ruled by Christ, Jehovah’s promise will be fulfilled: “Death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”​—Revelation 21:4.

At that time the gift of life will be extended in marvelous fashion. Survivors of the final tribulation on this earth will have the opportunity to enter into the fullness of life. And then, by means of the resurrection, a bringing back to life, Jehovah God will restore his priceless gift to those asleep in death. (John 5:24, 28, 29) This will mean the return of dead loved ones and God-fearing men of old!

Is all of this too good to be true? No, for “with God no declaration will be an impossibility.”​—Luke 1:37; compare Job 42:2.

Furthermore, Jehovah God himself has furnished mankind a guarantee that all of this will take place. How? By sacrificing the one dearest to his heart, his dear Son, Jesus Christ, to ransom us from sin and death. Romans 8:32 assures us: “He [Jehovah God] who did not even spare his own Son but delivered him up for us all, why will he not also with him kindly give us all other things?” The Bible tells us that this will include cleansing mankind of moral decadence and eliminating all forms of injustice, crime, and violence. (Isaiah 11:9) Never again will life be viewed as cheap.

Even now, under imperfect conditions, life can be very enjoyable. Who does not delight in the tantalizing aroma of food, the feel of a gentle breeze on a warm day, the sight of a majestic mountain, a gorgeous sunset, a serenely flowing stream, breathtakingly colorful flowers, the sound of sweet music, or the song of birds? Pause for a moment. Think, what would it be like to enjoy such things for an eternity?

Does it make any sense, then, to throw away the precious privilege of living forever because of any temporary pleasure that a senseless, self-indulgent course of life may offer? (Compare Hebrews 11:25.) Wisely, the Bible exhorts us ‘to live the remainder of our lives, no more for the desires of men, but for God’s will.’ (1 Peter 4:2) We heartily encourage you, yes, urge you, to do so by studying God’s Word, the Bible, and putting into practice the things you learn. (John 13:17) You will thus come into a good relationship with Jehovah, the God overflowing with goodness and mercy, who can reward you with eternal life!

[Footnotes]

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Does your life-style reflect an appreciation for life?

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God’s new world will allow us to enjoy the pleasures of life eternally!