The early days of “shelter from home” were like a week or two of snow days. But the novelty has worn off. We’re all anxious to get back to normal, whatever that might be.

Yet we know, until we have a vaccine, opening things up will be difficult. Doing so too quickly may mean tens of thousands of deaths, deaths that fall disproportionately among the elderly and the sick.

This has led some to describe the problem as a tradeoff between the economy and human life. There are even those who suggest we let nature run its course in order to achieve herd immunity. We can’t, they say, afford to do anything else.

I am not an epidemiologist, so I’m not about to argue charts and graphs when I don’t know what I’m talking about. But with graduate degrees in business and theology, I believe the argument between profits and people is overly simplistic.

My greatest concern is when the problem is framed by weighing the value of a human life against the value of the stock market. It’s true that a global recession, even depression, will hurt untold millions, so economic considerations cannot be dismissed. Yet, as important as the health of the economy is, human life is far more precious.

That’s why when I hear someone say that the elderly may need to go to save the economy, I want to ask, “do you really believe profits are more important than people?”

One of the most important Christian values showing concern for the little, the least and the last among us. In this COVID-19 era, it means loving and caring for the most vulnerable. This is no time for us to turn our attention away from the sanctity of human life.

The elderly and those with preexisting conditions are not just data points, but living, breathing human beings. In order to be consistently pro-life we need to remember that “all lives matter,” no matter how young or how old.

Any talk about prioritizing the economy over those who are old and sick is an affront to God. It turns the dignity of a person made in the image of God into a number on a ledger sheet. And in doing so, we sacrifice our principles as those who say we value life.

Imagine for a moment that the death toll from COVID-19 was greatest among children. That the elderly had an immunity based on past exposure to a similar virus contracted earlier in life. Would we be saying the same thing? I don’t think so.

I understand that even in the best of circumstances, this virus will disproportionately affect the old and the ill. But that is no reason to suggest we sacrifice the elderly for the sake of the economy. There is no senior discount on the value of a human life.

I say this knowing that Christians nearing the end of life should hold on loosely because we know we have been created for a different far better world to come. That means that it’s okay for a person nearing the end of a long life, or battling a terminal illness, to make the decision to forgo treatments than may only briefly extend their lives. But it’s quite another to make that decision for another person in order to get the economy back up and going.

Acting in a way that prioritizes profits over people cheapens the value of human life. Do we really believe that people need to die in order that we can live well?

As we work to open things up, we must be appropriately cautious. And as decisions are considered, the value of a life must be a significant part of the equation. Lives are not expendable. And we ought not define people by their productivity or perceived usefulness.

We also need to be careful about rushing so quickly to assert our “rights.” Some are starting to chafe at the restrictions being placed upon them. But we must remember that even liberty isn’t a higher value than life. The Apostle Paul even suggested that our “rights” are not unlimited. He once said that while we have “…the right to do anything, …not everything is beneficial.” Then he added, “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” (1 Cor. 10:23-24) The clear principle is that we need to think first of others, and then about ourselves.

The earliest Christians lived this out. They took great risks during times of plague to nurse those who became ill, helping many to live. Historians tell us that it was their sacrificial service that led many to consider Christian faith for the first time. And some eventually converted.

Life is the greatest of God’s gifts. There’s nothing more precious. This has been the consistent perspective of Christians through the centuries. How we treat the elderly, the sick and vulnerable says a great deal about our values as a culture. And if we, young and healthy as we are, make decisions that adversely affect the elderly, we must remember that one day we will find ourselves on the other side of that equation. Will we then want the same decisions we are making, made for us?

We will not be able to save every life. Some of the vulnerable among us are already gone. And more may soon follow. But we cannot callously disregard their lives while we pass by on the other side of the road because to stop and help might mean a decline in our standard of living.

My grandmother lived through the 1918 pandemic. In fact, one of the most precious mementoes I have from her life is a journal she kept as a fifteen-year-old high school sophomore during that fateful year. Recently I’ve heard that some today have started journaling, recognizing that history is being made in our day.

Some day our grandchildren will read what we have written. And when they do I believe we will want to be remembered as those who took action to protect the vulnerable, even if it cost us something. To be known those who showed respect for the dignity of each and every human life.