Sanctity of Life

Sanctity of Life

This phrase applies to so many areas of life, but I believe our focus this weekend is on human life as it applies to pro-life verses the right to choose.

When I look around this room, I see the faces of many who have walked with the LORD most of their lives. My story is different. It reminds me of a song I barely know the words to, and I certainly don’t know the tune! But the first line of the song is:

One of these things is not like the others, One of these things just doesn’t belong…

That would have been a very good description of me had I stepped in this class 20 years ago. You see, I didn’t choose to become a follower of Jesus until I was in my 40’s.

Like many of the Israelites we have been studying, I was very mad at Jesus for a long time and I refused to give Him my heart. There were only three people I trusted: Me, Myself, and I and there was no way I was going to allow Jesus to be a part of this exclusive group.

Typical of a teen in the early 70’s I was impacted by the media, and one of the biggest things to hit the news happened in 1971: Roe versus Wade. Every television set was tuned in to hear the details and form their own decisions.

I was 15 years old, I went to school full time, and I worked a job full time in the evenings with my older sister, and single mother. I was very independent, and I was mesmerized by this case!

In January of 1973, a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. It struck down many U.S. state and federal abortion laws and divided out country. It still divides our world today.

While all of this was happening in the news, our high schools were having their own arguments and debates. A very dangerous piece of information was planted in my mind through one of those discussions: when a person became pregnant it was essentially nothing more than a lump of skin, a cluster of cells, if you will, but it wasn’t alive. We were told life didn’t happen until that “lump” was many months along.

So, I believed it. I was pro-choice. I wasn’t old enough to vote for that right but that January in 1973 I took a stance to be pro-choice right along with the Supreme Court.

A year later, I became pregnant with my first child and I’ll never forget my response when the specialist asked me “would you like an abortion?” It was so casual my response at that young age of 17 was simply “I beg your pardon?” Gone was my bravado and politics. I simply looked at my belly and said, “I have a baby!”

The specialist warned me I would have complications and I might not carry that baby full term. She was right about one thing; that pregnancy was complicated, but I carried that baby full term and he was precious! I was warned he might be my only baby.

But God had other plans even though I still didn’t include Him in any of mine!

Three years later, I became pregnant again and I was given the same choice to abort. That pregnancy was very difficult, and I was in and out of the hospital, but again I carried her full term.

However, although that sweet little girl looked perfect, she was fraught with “problems.” We were in and out of doctors’ offices and by the time that child was nine years old she was finally diagnosed with epilepsy. You would think a parent would know that wouldn’t you? Well, it was complicated; and I did not know.

At age sixteen during a well check, my daughter and I were told: it’s not that Sarah can’t have children, but she should not because the risk to her and the babies could be devastating.

Sarah left that office crying and she said to me, I’m going to have a baby someday. Momma Bear simply said, no, you will not! A huge divide was created that day between me and Sarah.

In 2004, my husband Danny and I were on a vacation in KY and oddly enough we were visiting a Jim Beam manufacturing plant at 10:00 am for the first tour of the day. Danny worked for IBM and many of his clients were manufacturers. He was fascinated by the business and wanted to share that fascination with me. While we waited for the tour to begin, sweet young ladies were walking around with trays filled with small samples of their products. We both declined.

Suddenly I received a phone call from my Sarah. The tour was about to begin so I stepped outside and Danny decided to join me. Sarah’s first words were “are you sitting down?” We learned that morning she was not only pregnant, she was carrying twins. I will never forget that moment. Sarah did not get the joyful excitement from her Momma one typically expects, I was FURIOUS! I was also terrified. Our conversation ended quickly and badly.

Danny and I rejoined the tour and I stopped by one of those sweet young ladies and drank every glass of whisky on that tray!!!

Two weeks later I was in OK with my very frail daughter. She had been referred to a doctor who dealt with special cases like Sarah’s. At this point Sarah was seven weeks pregnant and had already had multiple Grand Mal seizures. She and the baby’s health were both in danger.

There was also one very significant difference that day in 2004 as we waited in that specialist’s office filled with medical equipment: I was a new believer in Jesus Christ.

So, what does a pro-choice woman do/feel/think as a believer in Jesus Christ when her child is faced with a life-threatening pregnancy? I’d like to say I was a much different woman, but I was still a new believer. So I went directly back into my practical Momma Bear mode and told myself if the doctor said my daughter must terminate the pregnancy for the safety of her health, that’s what would happen.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say that out loud. I simply told Sarah we needed to listen carefully to what that specialist had to say and follow his advice.

What does a 27-year-old young lady have to say about that? A girl who doesn’t really look one thing like her Momma but is exactly like her Momma on the inside, which includes a wide streak of stubbornness? She simply tells me that it doesn’t matter what he has to say she is having those babies.

Thankfully before we had a big old battle, the doctor arrived, and he carefully and gently explained everything until both of us were crying. It was hard information to hear. Then he told Sarah to hop up on his big old sonogram table/bed and he said, “let’s see what we are dealing with.”

Y’all what we saw were two little bitty babies. Not a lump of flesh but two little children that had arms, and legs, and sweet little faces with eyes. At seven weeks! I could even see their little hearts beating and he turned up that volume and it was the sweetest sound I had ever heard! The doctor said “look at your hands Momma and Grandma, because these children are about the size of your thumbs but they both look very healthy! This one right here,” he pointed with his finger, “will be Baby A and this one is Baby B. That’s how I will refer to them from this point forward until we know whether they are boys or girls or one of each.”

Can I just say that my pro-choice stance suddenly evaporated in thin air? I had absolute proof that even as tiny as they were, they were alive, whole, and I was looking at my grandchildren!

It was not an easy nine months! There were so many Grand Mal seizures, and her seizure medication had to be tripled. But she carried those children full term and when her delivery date finally arrived, she had those babies with no complications.

They were both addicted to her seizure medications at birth, and both had to go through withdrawals. We didn’t really know what we were doing, but despite our initial divisiveness, we worked together side by side like a well-oiled team to get those babies through to the other side.

By the way, Baby A on the right is Cheyenne, and Baby B on the left is Charles. They are now 15 years old, with not a single issue we had been pre-warned to expect. Here is their current picture (front view not included to protect them from predators):

Twins from Behind 7 2019

Thank you for letting me share our story.

 

 

Matthew 18:1-6

Thy Word:

 The Greatest in the Kingdom

 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

“And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18:1-6 NLT

“After they [Jesus and the disciples] arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.” Mark 9:33-34 NLT (Items in brackets from me.)

*****

My Thoughts: We learn in these verses in the book of Mark that Jesus knew there had been a discussion among the disciples about who was the greatest of them. This is so typical of man/woman (i.e. us) isn’t it? Our own society teaches us we must achieve even if that means it comes at the expense of someone else.

photo of woman wearing red boxing gloves

In a recent blog Jesus warned the disciples that he would be killed soon, and it would be someone he loved who would betray him. (Matthew 17:22-23)

However, rather than ask questions, or try to determine what they could do to protect Jesus, they are arguing amongst themselves about which of them is greater! In many ways this cold-hearted selfishness is so surreal to me, but I also know that I can be just as capable of being self-focused and miss the main thing!

Jesus used the example of a child to help his self-focused disciples understand the main point: we are not to be childish like the disciples, but childlike with humble and sincere hearts.

Eek! I am immediately being challenged to ask myself the same compelling question Jesus asked his disciples:

Am I in the habit of being childlike or childish?

banking business checklist commerce

When I typed that question, I expelled a heavy sigh because my emotions have been a cesspool these last few months. Yes, I’m saying that a lot of things I have been feeling have stunk to high heaven. I’ve spent a lot of hours praying through my Bible and with some of my favorite Bible scholars to walk through every stinking thing because I needed to clarify some things, and deal with some shearing pain. When our hearts start breaking, our hearts and thoughts start stinking; it happens.

However, while I needed to understand the entire situation about what was happening inside of me, it never gave me the right to say or do things in retaliation, or in childish behavior to either make a point or to further my own personal agenda. There has been an unholy battle waging inside of me for a position of authority and answers. I’ve had to confess that for what it is (sin); and ask my Jesus for His forgiveness and for His direction. I couldn’t get it from anyone else because no one else had the right answers, nor can anyone else comfort or restore my broken heart.

silver colored heart lock bridge

I thank my God everyday for the mercy of His forgiveness and restoration, but especially during the difficult times.

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths bringing honor to his name.” Psalm 23:3 NLT

I knew the stakes were high because of the dangers of making the wrong move in my pain or speaking words from my heart in an unsafe place. Jesus clearly said:

“But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18:6 NLT

woman wearing eyeglasses and black hijab

What could be worse than harming a childlike person who has trust in Jesus? That would be intentionally or carelessly harming a person who doesn’t yet know Jesus.

“I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.” I Corinthians 10:33b

I do have a personal relationship with Jesus therefore, I can tell you that while He cares about my pain, He expects me to act like a follower of Jesus! That includes whether the other person deserves it or not, but especially if they have not yet found their way to Jesus!

So. I’ve picked myself up out of the cesspool. I’ve stopped acting like I’m in authority. I humbled my heart completely before my Jesus and confessed everything, including my anger with Him. He knew all about it anyway, I might as well have gotten it off my chest! Jesus took it all from me the moment He died on the cross for me and I surrendered my heart to Him. Kneeling before Him, Jesus washed the pit of hell off my body and put my name tag right back on my heart where it belonged. It didn’t say that I was in authority or in charge, but it boldly did say:

Daughter of the Most-High King

white and pink floral freestanding letter decor

*****

Closing Prayer: Father God, you bless my life every day with Your love and Your mercy, and I am so grateful. Thank You for allowing me to keep You close as my pain is healing and as I wait on You for Your will. Thank You for already establishing that my calling still has value even when I couldn’t find value in myself. Father may I bless You this day, and sometimes moment by moment, as I walk this road to Your glory. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.