by Josh Wilson as told to Ann Byle
Intrinsic worth of a human being
The value of human life has been instilled in me since I was young. My dad is a pastor in West Texas who has preached many sermons about the value of preborn babies, how each one is alive and made in God’s image, even though they are in the womb. He would often reference Psalm 139:13-14: “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” I still love those verses.
The song of a heartbeat
But the value of all human life really hit me when my wife, Becca, and I heard our son’s heartbeat during an ultrasound. His tiny heart was swishing so quickly and steadily that I took out my phone and recorded it.
My wife’s pregnancy coincided with the recording of an instrumental arrangement of “Ode to Joy” in my album, That Was Then, This Is Now. In that arrangement, all the music eventually drops out and all we hear is little Asher’s heartbeat. Our son reinforced that human life is a gift from God, a grace, something we don’t deserve.
What makes humans valuable?
Asher has certainly influenced our lives, but so has our neighbor Jay. Becca and I met Jay the day we moved into our home. He came over and introduced himself.
Jay is in his 30s and has autism and cerebral palsy. Through him, we learned about Capernaum, a program of Young Life for teens and young adults with disabilities. Becca and I began volunteering with Young Life Capernaum about 10 years ago and fell in love with this group of people. Each meeting includes a meal, music, a craft and a Bible lesson. The get-togethers usually end with a dance party. To this day we continue to work with our friends with special needs and celebrate their value as humans.
Valuing Life From the Start
Teach your family the value of life, all life, from the start. Click to get the free download.
How do we value human life?
Becca and some of her friends later started a group in Nashville, Tennessee, for those young adults who have aged out of Capernaum, called The Ascent. With so many pregnancies terminated because the babies have, or may have, special needs, this is one way our family pushes back against the belief that people with special needs don’t have as much value.
We’re very passionate about the fact that every human life has value no matter what that life looks like.
Josh Wilson is a Texas native who lives in Nashville, Tennessee has multiple hits on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart including “Fall Apart” and “Before the Morning.” He’s also toured with Third Day, Casting Crowns and Building 429. He recently released a new single titled “Revolutionary,” which encourages listeners to join the revolution of kindness that Jesus started.
