(1.) Women and Children First! Why?
(1.) Women and Children First? Why?
“Enough! You’re here to defend the defenseless, to give justice to the weak and fatherless, to maintain the rights of the oppressed and the needy. Your job is to rescue the powerless and stand up for them, to deliver them from all who exploit them!” (Psalm 82:2-4).
Why? The Short Answer. We are living in a world that thoughtlessly considers women and children least worthy of protection. Now more than ever, we need to rise to the challenge of protecting and defending the most vulnerable among us. First of all because every creature in the universe deserves to be treated with respect and honor, from the lowliest animal to the miraculous human being. Dishonoring creatures dishonors the Creator, and we don’t want to go there. Most importantly, every human life is created in God’s image and therefore enjoys eternal worth and divine dignity. That truth is the foundation of every person’s identity. To treat someone as empty of inherent worth and heavenly value is to de-humanize them, and it doesn’t get any worse than that. We reveal our sinful nature most dramatically when we devalue and dis-grace another human being. We reveal God’s grace most profoundly when we value a person’s worth and treat him or her with the dignity they deserve. For those who don’t believe in a Creator God, protecting and caring for the needs of women and children is just common sense… Women have the natural ability and mission to bear life and bring new life into the world; and children are that new life on which our future depends. If we choose to be idiots and don’t care for women and children, the world will not have a future. Period.
“If you remain indifferent in time of adversity, your strength will depart from you. Rescue those who are being dragged to death, and from those staggering to slaughter withdraw not.” (Proverbs 24:10-11).
Why? The Longer Answer. This category entitled “Women and Children First!” will include some of my thoughts that are intended to tackle the human rights issue of our time: the care and protection of our women and children. These articles will attempt to discuss various ways of answering the very basic questions surrounding the importance of not just helping our women and children to survive but to flourish in a culture that seems to leave them vulnerable to the worst of our species. Again, the question is, Why bother? Some possible answers might be:
(1.) Because each and every human life is sacred, invaluable, and deserves protection.
(2.) Because each person is called to represent God by protecting the vulnerable.
(3.) Because God Himself experienced childhood and thus sanctified women and children even further.
(4.) Because God identifies Himself with women.
(5.) Because God is disgusted with mistreatment of women.
(6.) Because God identifies Himself with children.
(7.) Because God is disgusted with mistreatment of children.
“This what the Lord Almighty says, ‘You must see that true justice is done, that everyone is treated fairly, and you need to show lovingkindness and compassion to everyone. Do not oppress or take advantage of the widow, and do not mistreat children who have no father. Do not crush the stranger and do not oppress the disadvantaged poor. And do not plot evil in your heart against your neighbor.” (Zechariah 7:9-10).
Lights in the Darkness. There will also be several articles in this category highlighting some of the people in history who have lit the path for us to follow in caring for vulnerable women and children… from St. John of San Francisco to Mother Teresa of Calcutta; from Corrie ten Boom to George MacDonald; from King Arthur to Tim Tebow. And there is more to come.