I don’t know if I could part with an organ for a stranger. It’s selfish, I know. However, if we’re honest, here — most of us probably wouldn’t.
The subject came up when Rush Limbaugh became emotional during his radio show after a caller said he wanted to donate a lung as the radio host is battling lung cancer. The caller was one of many who offered to help in this matter.
I don’t know. I do know that family, friends, and people I’ve known for years– the answer would be “yes” for the most part. A stranger, now, that’s a different ballgame. The answer comes down to sacrifice, and what would a person do to save another? Be it physically, mentally or spiritually.
Jesus instructed us to love our neighbor and to do what we can to help a stranger. Organ and blood donation are a chance to consider this. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Also, another Scripture said to offer “your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” There is John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
I don’t know if this equates to organ donation, but life is precious and sacrificing to save another person’s life, perhaps is a duty as Christians. We can’t match Jesus’ ultimate gift, but we can become an extension of Him. Sacrifice is not a notion that anyone enjoys, no matter what it is– donating blood, organs, money or our time.
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, more than 7,300 people became living organ donors in 2019, a record. So, we would all be in good company.
Senior Pastor and author David Jeremiah wrote, “When we love, I mean really, truly love — we love with our whole self, our entire being. There’s no holding back.”
The subject does cause me to take a pause–and it’s an issue worth praying about, exploring and challenging oneself.
-Written by Corine Gatti-Santillo