When we accept Christ into our lives we go on a meandering road of learning, discerning and serving that brings light into our lives and gives us a heart to be like Christ. With this new heart, we see the world with fresh eyes. If we’ve had an abortion in our past, whether it was yesterday or 40 years ago, we come to realize that what we did will not stay in the backseat of our minds where it belongs. It wants to come up front, take a turn at the wheel and shove our newfound faith to the curb. But we have another passenger: the Holy Spirit, who speaks and prompts us to take note and do something with that unlicensed driver. And even though we keep struggling to take control of that steering wheel and shove that errant memory to the backseat, reminders keep popping up that make us address that recalcitrant little backseater.
Someone, somewhere is going to say the word ‘abortion,’ and there you go, back to the past…and the pain. The inability to get pregnant, having your first child, or a news headline flashing, “Abortion Doctor Indicted,” seem like they are designed to keep us from forgetting that bad memory. These intrusive reminders bring that abortion front and center as we navigate life. But, it’s not just the memory that is etched into our minds, it’s the emotional pain, the sorrow, and the regret that comes back to smack us in the face. And each time we’re reminded, the guilt, shame and sorrow, gather a little speed and momentum. Instead of the memory getting lost, the memory and heartache get a little closer to the surface, the pain a little sharper, the road a little more difficult to travel.
If you are a Christian and you had an abortion, whether it was before you accepted the Lord or after, bring that abortion to the front seat. Let God help you give it the attention it requires through His word and through His forgiveness. Stop thinking that it will be quiet and behave in the backseat like an obedient child: it won’t. It wants to drive, so let it drive you to a place of healing. And then when you’re traveling through life and you hear the word ‘abortion,’ you’ll find you are no longer dreading that backseat passenger because you’ll have new passengers with names like: peace, joy, hope, forgiveness, and love.
(Forgiven and Set Free is a Bible study that leads you through God’s word to help let go of the pain, guilt and shame of abortion, and find forgiveness in our compassionate Lord and Savior.)
Shining The Light 