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High School Essay Finalists
This has been a great year for the high school essay contest. More students took part, more subjects were covered and more areas of the state were represented. LFL Board members and Lutheran pastors helped with the judging process. From all those submitted these were chosen as the finalists. Nicole Schuldt, a twelfth grader from Christ Lutheran High School in Buckley, is the winner of the $1,000 scholarship. Her essay follows. All other finalists will receive $100 awards from LFL of Illinois. Their essays will appear on this website.
“This is my body and this is my baby. I can do with them what I want to do. No one can tell me that I have to raise this child, not even my boyfriend. He does not have to take care of this baby or have any responsibility, and this responsibility is too great for me to handle on my own.”
“What about me, mommy? Why don’t you ask me what I think about life? What if I want to experience the world? What about me, mommy?”
Imagine hearing your own mother talking about killing you. What would you say to her? Would you ask, “What about me?” No one stops to think about the baby. No one stops to think about the real human life that is within the mother. Mothers considering having an abortion don'’ stop to think about the lives they are killing, their children’s lives.
More than 85% of all abortions take place at 8 weeks or later (Allen, p. 1597). At 8 weeks old, a baby'’ skeleton is completely formed. A baby has little feet and little hands and is complete. Eyes, ears, nose and mouth have all taken shape and are completely formed. A baby is a living human being with a heartbeat and the ability to feel pain at 8 weeks old. How can we justify killing a heart that is beating?
However, a mother wanting an abortion does not take time to consider what the baby looks like or what her baby is capable of doing. A mother who is ready to have an abortion is thinking only of herself. She is worried about how the baby will affect her life and no one else’s life. She is not even worried about the regret and hurt she will feel later on in life. She is not worried about her baby’s pain, only her own. A mother about to have an abortion does not consider that her baby is a gift from God. Scripture tells us in Psalm 127:3, “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is His reward.” Although the mother having the abortion was not considering her baby, Jesus loved the little children and commanded His disciples in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Pregnant mothers wanting an abortion are worried about the huge responsibility that comes with having a child when they should be worried about the responsibility they have to God. Society is responsible for protecting these children’s lives. When society fails in their laws, we as Christians need to step in and stand up for what is right. God commands us to protect the children in Proverbs 31:8, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” Though unborn children have not come into the world yet or been named, they have been formed by the hands of God and they are His children. As Psalm 119:73 states, “Your hands made me and formed me.” God creates children in His own image and has called them to be His own. Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.’”
Every unborn child has the right to live. As Christians. God commands us to stand up for these children and speak for them since they cannot speak for themselves. We are responsible for taking a stand against abortion. Each unborn child is asking, “What about me?” Why aren’t we listening?
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Works Cited
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Allen, M. “The Limits of Viability,”
New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 329, #22
(November 1993) p. 1597.
The Holy Bible, New International Version.
International Bible Society, Colorado
Springs, Colorado 1973, 1984.
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Essay
4th Grade
Trinity Lutheran School
Tinley Park, Illinois
There are many people in the world who are handicapped. Some people cannot see, can not walk, can not talk, cannot hear, or a combination of any of the above.
I want to take a few minutes to talk about the blind or visually impaired.
These people are so amazing. They learn to read using Braille (raised dots), they use guide dogs or horses to learn to get around, they depend on their other senses to help guide them, but most importantly, I believe their trust in God is greater than great!!
I admit that the first time I actually spoke with a blind person, I was a little scared. He sensed that and immediately help me by talking about his handicap. I met him in McDonald’s of all places.
When he was 16, there had been a fire in his parents’ house. Although he was able to get out without getting burned, an explosion took most of his sight away. He was very sad for a long period of time but he said that he still felt that an angel had been with him that day. Then one day a present arrived. A new dog!! Not an ordinary dog, but one that would help him become independent again.
His dog’s name was Spunky and how true that was. They soon became fast friends. He let me bend down and pet the dog. How loving he and the dog were.
My new friend told me some of the hardships he faced every day, but knowing that God was with him every step of the way somehow made it so much easier. Even sometimes when people were rude to him, he knew that they just didn’t know God.
How great of a lesson I learned that day. Don’t turn your back on people that are different than you – open your arms and welcome them. After all, that’s what God does every day!! It doesn’t matter to him what you look like. What he cares about is what is deep within your heart. JESUS!!!
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Caring for the Elderly
6th Grade
Trinity Lutheran School
Tinley Park, Illinois
In today’s society, there is a great need for caregivers. Advances in science have helped to keep people alive. The elderly are living longer than in the past. They often need extra care due to their advanced age. Caring for the elderly is a great gift from God. Caregivers are definitely blessed with love, patience, kindness, and gentleness. All these qualities come from God.
God has truly blessed my family with a wonderful caregiver. Two years ago, my Grandma Mary made the decision to become the sole caregiver for my great grandmother. Great grandma was 90 years old. She had suffered a stroke. In the hospital, she was diagnosed with stomach and lung cancer. She also was in the middle stage of Alzheimer’s disease. The family had to decide where great grandma was to go. That is when Grandma Mary said she would be her fulltime caregiver.
Over the past two years, Grandma Mary has been a nurse, a friend, and a Christian support person for my great grandmother. She has also dealt with infections, hallucinations, temper tantrums, belligerence, and abnormal sleep patterns. Yet, Grandma Mary almost always goes about her day with little complaining. She knows she is doing God’s will. Without Grandma Mary’s love, patience, kindness, and gentleness, great grandma certainly would not still be living today.
God has gifted many people with the talents needed to care for the elderly. To use these gifts is a great blessing for both the caregiver and for the elderly. What a great gift to dedicate time, love, and kindness to someone who truly needs the support.
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Sanctity of Life
Altamont Lutheran Interparish School
8th Grade
Our nation was built on a promise of life and liberty for all citizens. Guided by a deep respect for human dignity, our Founding Fathers worked to secure these rights for further generations, and today we continue to seek to fulfill their promise in our laws and society.” This is the opening of the National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2003 proclaimed by President George W. Bush. It reminds us that we should reflect upon the sanctity of human life. We should work together to protect the weak, the imperfect, and the unwanted. We should ensure a brighter future for all and respect the life and dignity of every human being.
Human life is sacred and holy. As Christians, we should incorporate the respect of human life into our daily lives. The sanctity of human life is first described in the Holy Bible in Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” I think this means that God created humans as an image of God. The image is a privilege given only to humans. In God’s eyes, we are each blessed with a touch of Himself. We must reinforce the existence of human dignity through those who are dependent or weak. Our willingness to serve and be served in a time of physical weakness shows our recognition of human dignity.
In John 10:10 (“the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy”), we learn that the devil’s goal is to steal, kill and destroy those made in the Image of God. He is motivated by those who reflect the image of God. The devil has temporarily suceeded in destroying God’s creation with legalizing abortion, experimentation on human embryos, increased violence and moving toward legalizing physician-assisted suicides and euthanasia, among other things. Sanctity of life is the challenge to restore the value and worth of all human life from conception to natural death. The second part of John 10:10 (I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”.), shows us that the good news is that Jesus tells us that he has come to give life abundantly.
Restoring the Sanctity of Life ethic can begin as close to home as my own heart. We should all examine our own hearts for attitudes toward our fellowman. The next generation should be taught respect for all human life. Parents need to teach through thought, word and deed. If everyone feels cherished and respected, we will better grasp the understanding of human life. We must also continue to support public policies that protect human life.
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