Recently, I found myself saying and doing things Sy (pictured above) did. When I think about it, I realize how much his life had affected mine. The long and insightful conversations we had and the many things he taught me have changed me. He has been gone now about two years and I find that I think of him often. He wasn't the only person in my life, however. Grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles and many, many acquaintances have contributed to what I am today. I guess all this came to a head when I heard of someone who had lost a baby just short of her due date. Why would God allow such a thing? What value did that prenatal life have? I turned to the Scriptures for answers and centered in on these passages.Genesis 3:1-4 Complete Apostles' Bible
(1) (3:2) Now the serpent was the most crafty of all the brutes on the earth, which the Lord God made. And the serpent said to the woman, Has God truly said, Eat not of every tree of the garden?
(2) (3:3) And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden,
(3) (3:4) but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.
(4) (3:5) And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die!
Genesis 5:5-31 Complete Apostles' Bible
(5) And all the days of Adam which he lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
(6) Now Seth lived two hundred and five years, and begot Enosh.
(7) And Seth lived seven hundred and seven years after his begetting of Enosh, and he begot sons and daughters.
(8) And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
(9) And Enosh lived one hundred and ninety years, and begot Cainan.
(10) And Enosh lived seven hundred and fifteen years after his begetting of Cainan, and he begot sons and daughters.
(11) And all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.
(12) And Cainan lived one hundred and seventy years, and he begot Mahalalel.
(13) And Cainan lived seven hundred and forty years after his begetting of Mahalalel, and he begot sons and daughters.
(14) And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
(15) And Mahalalel lived one hundred and sixty five years, and he begot Jared.
(16) And Mahalalel lived seven hundred and thirty years after his begetting of Jared, and he begot sons and daughters.
(17) And all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
(18) And Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch:
(19) and Jared lived eight hundred years after his begetting of Enoch, and he begot sons and daughters.
(20) And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
(21) And Enoch lived one hundred and sixty-five years, and begat Methuselah.
(22) And Enoch was well-pleasing to God. After his begetting of Methuselah, He walked with God two hundred years, and he begot sons and daughters.
(23) And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
(24) And Enoch was well-pleasing to God, and was not found, because God translated him.
(25) And Methuselah lived one hundred and sixty-seven years, and begot Lamech.
(26) And Methuselah lived eight hundred and two years after his begetting of Lamech, and begot sons and daughters.
(27) And all the days of Methuselah, which he lived, were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.
(28) And Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-eight years, and begot a son.
(29) And he called his name Noah, saying, This one will cause us to cease from our works, and from the toils of our hands, and from the earth, which the Lord God has cursed.
(30) And Lamech lived five hundred and sixty-five years after his begetting of Noah, and begot sons and daughters.
(31) And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and fifty-three years, and he died.
Satan is a liar! No surprise here! But this short list demonstrates one thing; human beings die. Whether they be good or bad, they die. Every life that is lived (no matter how short) testifies that Satan lies. Untold deaths have occurred since the first human was created and its up to us as human beings to think about our lives and ask ourselves whether we are attempting to live life as God wants us to or as Satan does. There was an old TV show called "Truth or consequences" and I think the title sums up the choice. Sy taught me what true friendship was like and the little baby that never saw the light of day showed me how much someone who we have never even met can be loved. The lesson learned from all those we have known show the value in life and beyond. I know, because I have thought a lot about that unborn child and my friend Sy lately and so their lives live on in my memory and that memory makes me smile. And even one smile is a valuable thing indeed!