Except for physical considerations of the
pregnancy and birth, this question should
be applied to men as well. But let's look
at the physical first.
pregnant over the age of 35; pregnancies
over the age of 40 are considered "high-
risk pregnancies." The health risks for
babies born to such older parents are
equally well documented.
any kind of medical risk is not. One does
wonder why any woman would take that
kind of chance with a potential child of
theirs if she did not have to.
ing parents at an older age include the
parents' potential lack of the energy
needed to parent children and the possi-
bility of not being there for the children
as they reach adolescence or come of
age. There are also potential concerns
with your own aging parents and the care
they might suddenly need from you.
men becoming fathers as old as 80 years
of age, and while we increasingly have
the technology to assist people to have
children at ages previously reserved for
grandparents, is this necessarily a good
thing for all involved?
from improved medical information and
technology as well as the promotion of
Questions appropriate for printing in the War Cry will be answered through this column.
How old is too old for a woman
ture still takes its toll. The likelihood of seri-
ous medical concerns increases as we age.
are God's temple. Because God's Holy
Spirit has been given residence in our
redeemed hearts, our bodies are now His
holy, sacred temple. We are to take special
care of them, to love them, nurture them
and protect them from all manner of harm.
The Bible also reveals God's special love
for children, and His desire that attention
and great care be given to their welfare.
possible medical information available.
But give serious weight to what is best
for your body as God's Temple, and your
potential child, as His cherished one.
Actually, there are many verses in the
Bible that direct us to judge. Here are a
few: 1 Cor. 6:2-3, Prov. 3:21, John 7:24, Jer.
22:3 and Phil. 1:10. One of the gifts of the
Spirit is the gift of discernment--that
ability to clearly distinguish truth
from error by judging whether
the behavior or teaching
is from God, Satan,
human error or
human power.
judging is in
Matthew 7:1:
It is also the most misinterpreted. This
verse is widely used to shut down conver-
sations about questionable or sinful be-
havior, and frequently used by those in-
volved in that behavior. A careful read of
this verse with its companion verses,
7:2-5, reveals a different meaning.
must make sure that we are not guilty of
the same sin that we want to call to the
attention of our brother or sister in Christ;
our lives must be able to withstand the
same standard of judgment. We must
first remove the sin from our own life,
then we can help our brother with the
visible sin in his life.
of a genuine love for our family members
in Christ. To do nothing as we begin to
notice someone drift into sin would be cal-
lous and uncaring; it may even result in the
person eventually falling away from Christ.
Check God's Word to make sure what you
are troubled by in your brother is support-
ed there, and wait on the Holy Spirit. If the
Spirit opens the door, move forward in
great humility, gentleness and love.
God's Word tells us not to judge.