How old do you have to be ... ?

Being a parent isn't easy. Being a child isn't a walk in the park either. And, even though I am currently neither, I'm often party to conversations that end with a statement like, "not yet ... maybe when you're older". Whether it's a heated conversation with an 11-year old about why they can't play Grand Theft Auto or a heart-felt discussion with a 12-year old about whether they are old enough to stay at home on a Sunday morning when the rest of the family are at church, the question of when you become old enough to decide is a hot topic.

So, where would you draw the line? Say you're a parent, grandparent, aunt or youth leader to a 12-year old. Would you let them choose their clothes? Their menu? Their school? Their hobbies? Their attitude to cleaning their teeth? Their attendance at church youth group? The colour of their hair?

How about their right to die ...? No, really, I'm not joking. Would you let them choose to die under medically controlled conditions if they were suffering with a terminal condition?

That may seem like an abstract question to most of us living in the UK, US or Australia, but if you're in Belgium, the topic is a headline news. There the Senate has passed draft legislation to allow children to choose the path of euthanasia (with the caveat that their parents and medical team must be supportive).

Of course, one doesn't want to be naive or simplistic about the complexities and heartbreak of having a terminally ill child. I remember watching my young cousin lose the battle for life when I was only a child myself and the pain is intolerable, the questions unending. No-one wants to see a small person suffer.

And, in a society like Belgium where adult euthanasia is on the rise, it should not be a surprise to see a discussion on lowering the age limit under the banners of "justice" and "compassion" and "freedom".

But it's worth asking the questions, is it really just to let a child supplant the sovereignty of God by allowing them, not him, to choose the time of their death? Is it true compassion to tell a child that it's ok for them to die early? Is the right to die a "freedom" that any child (even a child who has reflected extensively on the subject) has the capacity to wield? ... Come to that, is it a true freedom at all?

In Belgium, the draft legislation is not yet law. It would be worth praying for our brothers and sisters there that they would be winsome and wise as they debate with their neighbours. It would be worth sinking to our knees right now in fervent prayer for them ... And even more so, it would be great to pray for those parents and children who know all too acutely that life is short. In the face of death, a needle is a false refuge, their - and our - only true hope is Christ ...

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2