Your Life From Here

“Here are 4 murderers making their way into an abortion clinic to allow their children to be torn to bits,” the Facebook post outlined next to a photo of several very pregnant woman.

I sadly noticed that this post had earned over 237 “likes” and had been “shared” by at least 67 people by that point. Absent from this post was any sort of compassion towards post-abortive women in general. The comment section on the post had everyone agreeing with the writer’s perspective.

In previewing this person’s other posts on their page, I determined to de-friend them. I prayed for the individual, asking God to touch their soul with His understanding. I asked God to help them understand that but for the grace of God, anyone could choose abortion.

As I worked to take the “murder” word captive from wounding my own heart that day, I opened the Bible and reviewed Scriptures about God’s grace for other murderers. Biblical characters like King David, Moses and the Apostle Paul were all obvious murderers. Their stories of God’s redemption show God’s unlimited patience with His people.

Paul shares this truth 1 Timothy 1:15-16 NIV – Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

Passages from Luke 7:44-47 NIV, regarding the sinful woman who was cleaning the feet of Jesus, spoke to my heart. This passage shares the story of Jesus sitting in a Pharisee’s home, observing the Pharisee’s clear disdain for the woman cleaning his feet because she was an obvious sinner.

Speaking up for her, Jesus gives a rare truth to the Pharisee – “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

While obviously there are unhealthy hearts that abort continuously, and mock those who stand for life, these are not the norm in our society. You and I as post-abortive people understand this truth. Most post-abortive women appreciate compassionate sidewalk counselors who don’t mock them but offer hope, help and compassion instead.

With each judgmental Facebook post, the hearts of the post-abortive individual can be negatively impacted. Missing from the mix are the voices of tens of millions who are shattered deeply by the loss of their child(ren). With or without God’s healing, our hearts often absorb the murderer/killer title with great shame and guilt. Locked in silent prisons of pain, we can reach judgmental conclusions about ourselves all over again and believe the worst – that we have committed the unforgivable sin.

Despite the depth of my healing, the word “murderer” rang in my head continuously like a long-playing song for several hours. Guilt was reignited followed by a quick conclusion that I could never be effective for Christ. Shame poured down on my head like a river, clearly sparked by the post.

Thankfully, going through the abortion recovery with God had matured my heart spiritually. I was strong enough to know my negative conclusions were what the enemy wanted me to believe. Sometimes it’s not that hard to draw blood from my abortion wound, despite the fact it has been healed over for many years.

To compare a young woman heading into an abortion clinic to someone who commits first-degree murder is clearly unsuitable. Since one third of all-American women are post-abortive, the murderer/killer terms have great power to wound on this topic.

In talking to thousands of women over the last 25 years in abortion recovery ministry, I know most women don’t enter an abortion clinic in a truly murderous mindset. The image of an ISIS terrorist brandishing a knife to a Christian’s throat doesn’t compare to a young woman who feels she has no other choice.

Women rarely are gleeful in making this choice. When you waited in the reception area of an abortion clinic, you know the emotions there gravitate towards fear and pain. Many feel they have no other choice and come to believe that abortion is best for everyone, even their unborn child!

There was a point in my healing where I recognized that I had taken the life of my own child versus a blob of tissue. By that time, God had already prepared the soil around my soul to grasp the truth of my actions.

I couldn’t blame anyone else, even my pressuring boyfriend, because no one dragged me kicking and screaming onto that abortion table. I had walked in all on my own, like a lamb to slaughter. I had the ultimate guilt and responsibility. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?

Thankfully, through Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, I was set free from the bondage of my sin and was allowed to experience God’s peace that passes all understanding.

I have friends who served prison sentences for first-degree murder. Most of these friends were post-abortive before the time of their crime. While it cannot be blamed entirely, their abortion trauma was part of the puzzle that led them into other destructive and dysfunctional behaviors.

Obviously, those behaviors led to criminal activity and then a prison sentence. These individuals helped outline the difference between aborting an unseen child referred to as a “blob of tissue” and the cold blooded calculated murderous act of killing a person standing in front of you.

The next time you hear people become vocally passionate about abortion, please pray. God wants to use loving hearts to reach hearts with His hope of healing.

Ask those that you love, and who know about your abortion, to avoid those two words – murder and kill – or follow them with overt compassion for the post-abortive listener! You never know who is listening!