I have to be honest with you guys- a midst all of this Planned Parenthood controversy at times I have turned to Dan and asked him if it's even worth posting anything on social media about this. Everyone is so passionate about abortion and seems to have their mind made up and if you really know me, I am not someone who enjoys talking "politics" at. all.
But this issue is so much deeper than politics, and for me it's not political, it's just plain personal. Yes I am a mother and yes I have been feeling little kicks in my belly for the past (almost) 20 weeks, but it goes even further than that. Every time I read something that tries to explain that the innocent killing of a baby for ANY reason is ok, my heart just sinks.
And really what put me over the edge is watching this video.
Call me a cold person, but I really haven't cried while watching any of the videos that have gone viral where planned parenthood has described in detail the process of actually killing a baby. Don't get me wrong, it makes me sad and I want something to be done, but I wasn't at the point where I was physically sobbing over this issue until watching this video. The night I saw this I couldn't help but break down- not just in sadness over how "human" a fetus is even at 8 weeks, but mainly just how terribly sad I felt that our culture is being fed this lie that choosing to kill someone is actually making a good choice.
At the heart of it, abortion truly is all about the exaltation of self. And it's the total opposite life that God calls us to live, and the total opposite life that Jesus lived for you and for me.
I've shared Lindsay's story on my blog MANY times before, but she shares something truly beautiful on her blog about this issue. And this comes from a woman who has carried two babies to full term, knowing ahead of time from doctors that they would't live much longer than a day outside of the womb. When she was presented with the option of aborting her baby for the sake of future fertility, she said she was reminded that:
"This is what Jesus did, he laid down his life for me, so that I could live. He knew what it would cost Him and determined it was worth the cost... that my chance at life was worth laying down His life."
And over and over again Jesus tells us how losing our life for the sake of the Gospel is oh so incredibly worth it. The joy that comes from living for more than yourself is so much greater. And I desperately want to sit with these women who are wondering what they should do in light of the news that they are pregnant and unprepared and simply have a conversation with them. Maybe they are a teenager, maybe they are a single working woman with a promising career, or maybe they simply don't feel ready to be a parent- whatever their story is, I want to tell them that choosing to live how Jesus lived- laying down your life for another, will bring much greater JOY than choosing to kill for the sake of convenience. No matter how convincing anyone sounds in that moment that you will be better off if you kill this baby, I truly believe that any woman who makes that decision will spend the rest of their life needing to convince themselves that they made the right decision.
I volunteered with a friend and co worker years ago at a clinic that gives resources to teenage girls who are pregnant here in Chicago. I honestly wanted to sit down with each girl and tell them how brave they were. I wanted to hug them and thank them for choosing to give this child growing inside of them an opportunity at life. No matter what the decision was that brought this child to life inside of them, these girls, in a weird way, were heroes to me. I know for a fact they were presented with the opportunity to get rid of this child. Maybe it was at 6 weeks before their bellies were showing, maybe it was at 20 weeks, maybe it was every week of their pregnancy they were presented with the opportunity to kill for convenience, and they chose life. Despite the stares they got in school, the whispers, the rumors, the gossip. They chose to lay down their reputation for the life of the child growing inside of them. And in my eyes they were heroes.
And this is what we, as Christians, need to be doing. I can't tell you how many times Dan and I had the conversation when we were going through our season of infertility that we desperately just wanted to go to an abortion clinic and tell every woman wrestling with what decision to make that we would take their child. That we would make sure their little baby was taken cared for. That we would raise their child up in a loving home and that child would have an awesome big brother and parents who loved them more than they could even imagine. I don't even know if something like this is possible but it should be. We should have a list of families who are willing to adopt a child, or who are willing to give up their time, resources, and finances to support these women who are faced with this decision. Instead of shaming women who are even considering an abortion, we need to be there to give them hope and provide them with another option.
I have felt God prompting me to write this for a while. Not to condemn anyone who has had an abortion or make anyone feel shamed for even considering one- I personally don't know what it's like to be pregnant and not be prepared. I'm sure the emotions are extremely overwhelming, and I'm sure there are many reasons someone can think of that would make them think they would be better off without the baby that is growing inside of them. I just feel a strong need to share that living the life of Jesus- laying your life down for another- will bring much greater joy than choosing to live for self. I feel God teaching me this not just in the big decisions in life but also in the daily small ones as well. I'm sure nothing said here is new to many, but I just pray that this perspective gives a glimpse of hope to someone who needs it today.
Amen sister
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