Shining The Light

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.)

While reading an article from the Elliott Institute, I found an alarming statistic—90 % of women who find out they have a Down syndrome baby, will abort that child. As I searched for further information to see if that was accurate, I found the statistic of 80%, and another source said—60-90%.  Statistics vary depending on the source, but when it comes to this subject; does it really matter that the stats vary? Does it make it any less heinous to say 60 % of innocent Down babies are killed, rather than 90%? Even one percent, or one life, is too many.

Has society become so callous, so heartless, so self-absorbed that we would not even give these children a chance? Or are we just ignorant? Or worse, are we rejecting our own children if they aren’t perfect?

Looking at various articles on Down syndrome babies and children, the parents who choose life, talk about their experience of finding out their unborn child has this condition. Frightened, uninformed and sad describe some of their initial thoughts and emotions. But once this perfectly special child enters the world, these families become completely enamored and fall in love with their Godsend.

Why are we so swift to turn to abortion when these children pose no threat to a mom’s health and life? Could it be that we as a society care more about having perfect children with all the accepted physical and mental attributes we desire? If this is so, I fear for the imperfect in the womb.

You’ve heard this phrase when someone wants to speak up about something that will help others: “Even if it helps only one person…” So then, we must also speak up when even one person is harmed. When it comes to destroying these precious babies with Down syndrome, we need to speak up and say, “Even if only one child is being hurt–this evil needs to stop.” We need to condemn this horrendous practice of aborting children who have every right to live and love.

And these children know how to love. From what numerous parents of Down children say, these kids are incredibly loving and sweet.

This is from a parent of a child with Down syndrome:

            “He is the happiest, kindest soul I have ever met. Daniel has taught me some valuable lessons about acceptance and love and being more compassionate.”

 We can learn what love is if only we would let these children teach us.

http://www.lifeissues.org/downsyndrome/index.html

The number forty is significant as it relates to God and the Bible. How many days did the rains fall on Noah? 40. How many years did Israel eat Manna? 40. How many days did God give Nineveh to repent? 40. Jesus was tempted for how many days? 40. These 40 day, or year periods gave God’s people the time and opportunity to be challenged and transformed.

 And so that is where the group, 40 Days For Life draws its name and its duty. These faithful pro-life participants fast, pray, and stand outside of abortion centers in peaceful vigils in efforts to access God’s power to end abortion. This 40 day pro-life campaign “brings together the body of Christ in a spirit of unity” as they lift their voices, as one, all over this nation, and internationally, to beseech our Lord to “turn hearts and minds from a culture of death, to a culture of life.”

 Now you have the opportunity to make a difference by becoming involved with the 40 Days For Life efforts.  But it’s already in progress, so hurry and jump in! Check out 40 Days for Life at its website: http://40daysforlife.com/about.html.

As we touch on this number 40 topic, we find that God has also arranged through the nature of things that the length of pregnancy is  calculated at 40 weeks!   As we unite our voice in prayer with all of the 40 Days For Life participants, let’s pray for pregnant women everywhere who are considering abortion, that their 40 weeks is not cut short by a decision to end their pregnancy:  that they would find answers to their troubling situation and that they would deeply consider all other alternatives so they will not be left with a hurt and broken heart.

As U. S. citizens, we love our freedom. We stand up for our right to Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Bear Arms, Freedom to Assemble: all great ideals to stand up for and we don’t want to lose them. Could it be though that we love freedom so much that we don’t realize that when we aren’t careful, our ‘freedom to’ may put us in bondage?

When it comes to sexual freedom, how many of us have been taken down a road riddled with pain and consequences…sexually transmitted disease, addiction to pornography, abortion, infidelity. This is bondage because we let sexual desires, sexual sin, lead us where we should not go. We wish we could go back and start over and we wish we wouldn’t have succumbed to sexual temptation which then led to other sins. But we can’t go back and erase what we did, it’s bound to us. How can we ever be free from the memories of sin that we now regret? We’re in bondage.

For Christians, we need to think twice when we believe we have ultimate control and freedom over our bodies. Paul in 1 Corinthians says to us: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you? You are not your own.”

Paul also says to the Corinthians, “…he who sins sexually, sins against his own body.” Could this be why when we let our sexual whims take us wherever it feels good, that there is some consequence to pay? When we unite with another in sin, we are debasing Christ. When we sin sexually and it leads to abortion, we create bondage in our minds, in our hearts, in our memories that can be there forever. We feel guilt and shame because our bodies are not our own, our bodies belong to Christ.

So if we could only remember Paul’s advice, “Honor God with your body,’ we could experience freedom from memories that convict, freedom from consequences of our sin, freedom to know that we are pure in His sight.

Sundays after church, my husband and I normally go to eat at one of our favorite restaurants. It’s been a habit formed over time with the kids. We’ve found that it can be an added incentive for kids to get dressed and out of their warm beds on a weekend morning. I have to say, even with no kids at home anymore, we look forward to our Sunday lunches.

 This past Sunday when we were having our lunch, I noticed, sitting at a table near ours, was a mom, a dad and a tiny little munchkin of a baby, probably about one month old. My immediate, automatic response was a warmth in my heart and a big smile on my face at the site of this baby. As a mom, you just want to take hold of a baby and cuddle it and take in their sweet baby fragrance.  Babies do that to you. They are oh-so-huggable and it brings back to mind the love and nurturing you felt for your own children.

I glanced over their way as we were eating and saw the Dad reach over, gingerly pick up the baby out of the carrier and he gently laid her on his shoulder. You could tell he was very new, taking every precaution not to jostle his sweet little one. My heart just melted to see this young Dad lovingly interact with his newborn baby.

As we ate, another woman walked past the family’s table and she fixed her eyes on the baby. Her response?? A huge Mom smile. You could just see it in her eyes, that innate sense of love and warmth for a baby, even if it isn’t your own.

If you’re experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and you feel you have no option for your unborn baby except abortion, please allow a mom and dad in waiting to give the unconditional love that their hearts are bursting to lavish on a child. You will bless your child, the parents, and yourself. It would be a beautiful site.

One day Jesus came upon “the woman at the well,” and this encounter changed her life. You can get the details in John 4. She had been living in sin and Jesus presented the truth to her so that she could not deny it. He didn’t berate her or shame her; he helped her see the truth.

When we encounter sin in a brother or sister in Christ, do we excuse it, condemn it or reveal it? God tells us in His word, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16).  But of course, we do this with love: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” (Romans 12:9,10)

I think so many Christians want to “love one another,” and yet, they may be at risk of harming one another.  I’ve heard a number of Christians say, “Oh, I would never have an abortion…but I wouldn’t tell anyone else what to do.” Why not?

We know from God’s word that life begins at conception (Psalm 139:13-14), we know from the science of Embryology that life begins at conception, and we just know in our own hearts and minds, that when you get the positive pregnancy test: you are with child. How then can we as Christ followers believe that it is ok to be silent about what we understand regarding abortion? That abortion destroys a living human being, our own child, and has dire consequences for our future emotional well-being?  Do we want to love fellow believers and help them, or do we want them to suffer the inevitable pain of abortion? Look at the website, silentnomoreawareness.org/testimonies, and read about the pain women and men are experiencing from their decision to abort. Can’t we love our brothers and sisters in Christ enough to speak the truth in love and help save them from this tragic ending?

God’s amazing truth tells us in Genesis 1:27-28, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number…’

If we love God with all our heart and soul and mind, then we will love our fellow believers enough to teach and correct… and possibly lead them away from what could be the darkest day of their life.

                      “I think what matters to God and what actually glorifies Him is that you do life His way. That you live in such a way that God’s activity is actually visible in your life. And not just your words.”    Steven Furtick, Pastor

If we do life God’s way in the area of abortion, what does that mean? There are people in church each weekend who profess Christianity, but their mind tells them that women have a right to abortion, that abortion may save a woman and/or her child from poverty, unmet needs, or a bad life.  A life of suffering.

And of course God wouldn’t want us to suffer in this life.

Or would He??

• Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,…James 1:2 (NIV)

•  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

• And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.  1 Peter 5:10-11 (NIV)

•  In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.       2 Timothy 3:12  (NIV)

•  Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered…   Hebrews 5:8  

Are we given a pass on suffering? No. But we have a God who knows our suffering and he has compassion on us, and holds out His hand of comfort, if only we would take hold.

• Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.     2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 (NIV)