The year was 1968, and Kenneth Swan was a
young army surgeon, just arrived in Vietnam. One of his first
cases was a 19-year-old soldier who had been blown up by a
grenade, losing his eyesight and both legs. It took seven long
grueling hours at the operating table to put him back together. |
Dr. Swan was surprised the next day to
find his fellow surgeons sharply critical of him. For not
doing a good job? No-for doing the job at all. |
"That kid was so badly mangled," they told
him, "you shouldn't have even bothered to treat him. He would
have been better off dead." |
For the next 20 years, Swan was haunted by
those words. Had he had done the right thing in trying to save
that soldier's life? |
Swan determined to find the soldier he had
patched up so many years ago in Vietnam. It took more than two
years, but in the end he managed to locate him. |
And what he found was nothing short of astonishing. |
Yes, the man is blind and in a wheelchair.
But he is not languishing in any hospital. He is married and
has two daughters. He attended college, learned to scuba dive,
and trained to help others with debilitating injuries. |
Now in his forties, the former soldier has a
zest for life-and a faith in God. When a reporter asked him about
his success in life, he responded simply, "I give the credit to God." |
What a testimony. |
And it's a great example of the life-changing
power of compassion. But without a sense of duty to a higher
standard--a commandment, for example, to treat life as sacred, to
love your neighbor-moral decision making is often driven by purely
utilitarian considerations. |
In the case of most of Dr. Swan's colleagues,
the wounded soldier's life was not deemed worthy of the time and
effort necessary to save him. But try telling this Vietnam vet's
two daughters that their daddy's life wasn't worth saving. |
You see, each of us has a right to expect
that no effort be spared to preserve our own lives and those of
our loved ones. And the Christian worldview provides us with the
basis for that expectation. That's because each of us is created
in the "image of God." And all life-not just that which is judged
"worthy," but all life-should be treated as a gift from God. |
Whether through medical missions, humanitarian
relief, or fighting the killing of the unborn, Christians
have historically borne witness to the dignity of human life.
We can learn from Dr. Swan's example and never hesitate to act
with compassion-to do the right thing. |
And oh yes-if your secular neighbor's life
should ever be in danger, he should be very happy he has a
Christian living next door. |
by Charles W. Colson |