Vaccinations... There I've said it. It's been in the news lately and is a subject that I honestly don't like talking about. It gives me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach and we delayed our kids until they turned 2 because of all the conflicting reports about ingredients, bulking of shots at such a young age, possible side effects... People are horrified if you do vaccinate and horrified if you don't. Perhaps this is why the Lord tells us not to seek "man's approval" only HIS. We're also to live peaceably with all men, as much as lieth in you. It just seems like all these voices and opinions are making it very hard to see where the Lord is leading. I'm being completely honest. We've had 2 really bad reactions with 2 of the girls and my mind thinks, "what if" they had been younger? Would they have been in that group of children with permanent disabilities. We also had 2 of our children come down with the chicken pox this summer and it wasn't life threatening, but they sure were miserable.
And then there's the moral objection... There are articles about some of the ingredients being from aborted fetuses, which is something that saddens me. Some say that it is only from one in 1950 and sometime in the 60s and not from recent ones. I wasn't alive then and perhaps the argument that the people making the vaccines didn't do an abortion just to use those things could be valid. They were using what would have been thrown away and usually is, in order to save the lives of millions.
Abortion has sent billions of little ones back to their Creator and left many guilty of murder. It's such a cruel procedure that we would never want to have a part in and yet... We are, whether we like it or not. Our taxdollars go to pay for them. The money that we're required to pay for healthcare, pays for that, whether we like it or not. We are required to pay these things and I have a feeling that vaccination will soon be mandatory, thus removing our freedom to choose, but what do we do with the time we have left with this freedom. Many feel that the freedom to choose is endangering their children! I really don't believe that the anti-vaccers have that as their agenda, but there doesn't seem to be any middle ground.
In fact most of the food that we purchase sends money to support things that we'd never personally support. Many of us would never play the lottery, but in many places there are proceeds from gambling that go for different events, community programs, etc.. Do we have a choice in that? Are we going to stop buying any food from the grocery store and never set food in a restaurant? I'm not poking fun at anyone who feels this way, just pointing out the sad reality of living in a society that doesn't want to believe in God or do what's right anymore.
If we go against our conscience in getting certain vaccines and our children develop an allergy or lifelong disability, do we blame ourselves? Many might blame the system or even the Lord. After all, it's the Lord that created us and many believe that nothing happens that He doesn't allow. Many things we attribute to the effects of living in a sin cursed world. We're supposed to praise the Lord in the good and the bad times. So...
For some that don't vaccinate they may say that they are trusting the Lord to protect their children. Others say that you can vaccinate and just trust the Lord to protect the children from anything in it that might be otherwise harmful. Now we are stuck in the middle again...
So, it kind of comes down to this. Our parents didn't have the internet. Most of our parents took us in for our vaccinations. If we're here facing this dilemma, that means we're still alive:). Some of us have allergies, none of my friends have autism, only a couple of my friends have gluten intolerance, which has been a more recent development.
Conclusion:
Whether others think our decisions are right or wrong, we ultimately need to make our decision based upon what the Lord leads us to do. It's not our business to make others feel bad for how they decide. They're honestly trying to do the best thing for their children and many of them don't have the Lord to guide them. They're left with reading a lot of the information out there(true and false) and making the decision that they feel is best for their family. I don't think it's selfish, I just think it's a matter of personal freedom. May we use these freedoms while we still have them and allow others to do the same.
Most of my friends that will read this are Christians. They may have personal opinions on the matter, but in the end, we do have the Lord who LOVES us VERY MUCH and is watching over us. If He allows our families to go through challenges, trials, cancers, disabilities and deaths, it's not because He doesn't love us. He's promised to be with us through these times and we often come out stronger and more in love with Him because of the challenges and the victories along the way. We're being tried, purified and coming out as gold!
This may not help anyone, but it does help me to have it written down:).
Well said.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Meleah :)
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