Abortion’s False Narrative

Abortion Kills Innocent Life

Texas is in the news, and it’s about Texas banning abortions at six weeks in utero. Depending what side you are on, this news makes you either happy or sad. Prolifers can never give up the fight. People like me don’t give up defending the human right to be born.

She’s pregnant.

(+) They’re celebrating. What a difference it makes if a pregnancy is desired and the baby is wanted. There are parties and celebrations, gender reveals, baby showers, baby announcements and newborn baby gifts. Everyone’s happy about the pregnancy and excited about the baby.

(-) They’re not celebrating. But what about the surprise, unexpected, unplanned pregnancy? What happens when the timing isn’t the best, when the two people aren’t a couple or they aren’t ready for the responsibility of a child, or a baby would interfere with their or her plans, or a baby isn’t wanted, or she’s just a teen herself?

What then?

The baby doesn’t have any say. The baby doesn’t get to choose whether they are wanted or unwanted. The womb is a scary place for the devalued, unwanted fetus. Their status as a prebirthed being makes it is easier to excuse when the birther person chooses to terminate the pregnancy. They abort the problem. Throw away the product of conception. Case closed.

For those who think that abortion is a women’s rights issue–rather than a human rights issue–the termination of a pregnancy is a slam dunk. They can lie to themselves and say that what they are going to do or what they did was right and best, they can save face and reputation. Everyone’s happy. Problem solved.

But not for the PreBorn baby.

They lost their life.

The greatest alarm came from the PreBorn. They didn’t have any say over their own life or about what happened to them. They had the most to lose. They fought in the womb but they didn’t have a chance. Then their life was discarded like yesterday’s lunch. Even the laws of the land didn’t protect them.

Such a travesty.

A few have survived an abortion attempt and lived to tell about it.

How did society come to accept that killing an unplanned, unwanted, unborn infant is preferred, right, and good policy? It came to be believed through deception, lies, and a perceived rightness that says the pregnancy is inconvenient, the wrong time, and so forth.

They have believed a false narrative that says we are in charge of our own destiny and can do whatever we want. Such thinking glibly says that we can sacrifice invisible, innocent lives whenever conveniently necessary for the good of society and for reproductive rights.

Let’s rethink the narrative.

The truth is that even PreBorn lives matter. All life matters. A PreBorn life is more than an ‘it,’ a fetus is a human being. Preborn children deserve to be protected. They deserve a right to be born and to live their life. A womb should be the safest place on earth, instead of the deadliest in some cases.

God places value on human life. God gave every human being a soul at the moment He gave them life. It is no small thing to disregard what God has made. We should help save the unprotected ‘innocents.,’ who can’t protect themselves. We should value all human life, instead of valuing some and not valuing others.

Some women have confided in me their hidden sorrows. They share their regret at terminating a pregnancy/s. They had believed the lie that they were better off without the child, that they probably couldn’t manage a baby at the time. Guilt, grief, sadness and regret came later, when they admitted or sensed that what they had done was wrong.

The conscience knows.

God awakens the conscience. A person cannot disregard or forget what the abortionist has done. Many will justify theirs and others’ abortions as they try to prove that their choice and others’ choices were right, given the circumstances. That’s the clincher, how abortion is justified.

For some, they want to live how they want to live without changing the way they live. They refuse to take ownership of their pasts. Society has made it too easy. So much so, that many women go on to have multiple abortions.

For others, there is regret. Their feelings of guilt, shame and unworthiness cause them to believe they are unworthy of God’s love and forgiveness. But they are mistaken. God loves them unconditionally. He forgives the repentant sinner. Christ meets them where they are at. He forgives their sins, and sets them free.

God calls the sinner to confess and repent of their sins. He calls them to Himself. Post abortive women and abortion clinicians can receive forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice and by belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. This is God’s great gift of redemption through which you receive eternal life.

* * *

We all have a stake in what is happening in our culture today. That is why I am devoting three posts to this phenomenon. More in a couple of weeks.

May God send this article to the person who needs it.

God’s best,

Norma


Tools for Parenting Well

I’m speaking for a baby shower this week. I thought of a lot of different angles I could take, including highlighting mothers in the Bible. But in the end I decided to approach my talk from the perspective of tools that are useful on your parenting journey. These tools are applicable to all of life and so I am sharing them here with you.

When you are a professional, you have tools that are essential to your trade. You were trained in how to use them—and then you set forth to do so. The same is true in parenting, that is, in parenting well. First off, it helps to know where you’re heading before you begin to use your tools.

Keep the End Game in Mind

Know the end game–where you’re heading with your parenting. Then figure out what will get you there. A Christian home takes Christian parenting. You are putting into your child at all times. It helps to know what you will need before you need it!

Love is Essential

Love makes a way. Love blesses. Love cares for needs even when you’re tired. Love get you through the terrible twos, potty training, and each and every day. Love even loves a teenager who’s giving you sass.

Incorporate Laughter

Humor makes your home fun. Pastor Pete liked to say, “Are you fun to live with?” We can be too serious at times. Lighten up. Enjoy your child. Look for the humor in situations. But do be careful with sarcasm that cuts.

Encourage Healthy Self-Concepts

Validate your child. Accept his or her uniqueness. Play to their strengths. Be sensitive to their fears. Refrain from belittling them when they are afraid. Minimize comparisons. Strive to know your child as a person, especially as they enter their own. Some parents do this extremely well, and those parents stand out. Some fail miserably. Be careful with the criticisms. A child’s spirit is easily bruised.

Pray Often

Prayer is a resource always available to you. We pray for our child’s protection. We pray for their spiritual life, their salvation and growth. We pray when they’re sick. We pray, pray, and pray. Our prayers broaden as our children grow into adulthood. As our parenting role lessens, we are letting go, letting them make their own decisions as we are simultaneously praying for them to make wise choices.

Give Thanks and Be Grateful

Along with prayer, we give thanks to God. We develop a spirit of gratitude. We turn negative situations into a cause for giving thanks. This turns negatives into positives and eases tensions in the home. Our homes reflect the gratefulness of our hearts.

Speak Words of Praise in All Things

God tells us to give praise in all things, which means both good and bad. The amazing thing about giving God praise in all things is what God does with our prayers of praise. He acts on our praises. I’m just learning this one and what a difference it makes.

Teach the Best Things

Parents teach. We teach about God and spiritual matters. We teach about the world and our relationship to it. We teach by example. It is wise to examine our views on matters of race, belonging, gender identity, and topics close to home. We teach about being good citizens, how to be a good sport, how to treat people right, and how to work hard and do it right. We teach how to care, love, affirm, and help. We are constantly teaching our children how to view the world they live in.

Shape Your Child’s Life for Real Life

We as parents are given an awesome responsibility. Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. Discipline is part of this. Structure is part of this. Guidance is part of this. Love is part of this. Children respond to judicious use of all of these.

However, it doesn’t work too well to hover and smother … helicopter parenting–they are over-protecting. Nor does it work well to not have limits or boundaries … where the children are calling the shots and manipulating you. Teach them to listen to you–which helps them respect you. Obedience follows. We are also learning to listen to God. Then we are more apt to obey Him as we should.

Most importantly, refrain from being harsh, punitive, and controlling–this is your responsibility. Children do not forget when you’ve been unreasonable or unfair.

In Conclusion

Children are gifts from God. Treat them as such. They are blessings and joys, and they are vessels to be filled. Fill them with love, goodness, and grace.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His face shine on you, and your children, and your children’s children.

Selah

Photo Credit – Chris Benson, Unsplash