LIFE OR DEATH - WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?

             Many years ago, a woman I knew became pregnant. She and her husband were of course excited and grateful to the Lord for the blessing. After a short while they received some terrible news; she became ill with German or “Red” Measles. At that time, it was a very serious matter as the German Measles could be devastating on unborn children and often caused deformities or brain damage. Her Dr.’s encouraged, even pleaded with her to have an abortion! They said the child would be horribly disfigured or worse. The woman was a Christ believer and prayerfully considered this and knew instantly that abortion was wrong in any circumstance.

Understand, everyone knows in their heart abortion is wrong, but people allow themselves to be convinced otherwise by their sinful desires and faulty reason. They in essence “kill” their conscience. The argument of fools that is often used is that a woman’s body is her own and she has every right to do as she pleases. She should have the right to decide. But sadly, nothing could be farther from the truth! A woman’s body is not her own as all were purchased by the blood of Jesus and one does not have the right to kill. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Even in Old Testament times our Lord warned sternly about causing injury to an unborn child. “If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Exodus 21:22-25).

If the Lord God calls the unborn baby a child, it’s a child—not a mass of tissue. When women and their husbands or fellow fornicators, as the case may be, are blessed with a child and they want the child destroyed they say they have an unwanted pregnancy. Why do they say they are pregnant if it is but a mass of tissue? Pregnant is defined as; “carrying unborn offspring inside the body.” But alas this debate is well known to all and we will not rehash the truth here. Suffice it to say that when one is pregnant, they are carrying a living child and to abort is simply murder! Our Lord reminds us; “As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything” (Ecclesiastes 11:5). People think they know better than our Lord but what fools they are! Abortion is an act of unbelief, it can be explained no other way! Again, we are reminded; for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18).

But back to the story.

The woman defied her Dr.’s “advice,” his pleading and warnings and carried the child full term. The child was born healthy and with all parts in proper working order. We see the hand of satan at work in trying to destroy the child, but our gracious and merciful God had other plans. The mother that chose life over convenience was mine! I am forever grateful to my Lord for giving me a Christian mother who was willing to raise me and care for me no matter what! I worked while in Alaska to supplement my salary for seven and a half years as an Employment Specialist for the developmentally disabled. I have seen firsthand the devastation caused by birth defects, Dr.’s mistakes, and mothers who drank, smoked, or continued using drugs during their pregnancy. I never met one person—no matter how horribly disfigured or brain damaged—that wanted to die or wished they had been aborted. They worked, lived, loved, and had wonderful lives.

Why would anyone think they know better than our Lord what is best for a child? Yeah, pregnancy can cause weight gain, leave stretch marks, cause a person to be responsible for the care of another person; but that does not give any individual the “choice” of who will and who will not be born. You think that is over simplification; you are wrong! People often chose abortion, and can do so legally, for no better reason than they do not want to hinder their fornicating with multiple partners by being pregnant! Think of the millions—I believe 56 million and counting since Roe vs. Wade—who have been butchered. Jesus died for them as well as those mother’s and father’s who chose abortion! I would have been discarded, butchered as unwanted by most today. Will this small story change anything? Probably not but we Christian’s must stand and fight for those who can’t. Prayer is crucial-- The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much! Who are the righteous—all who trust in Jesus alone for forgiveness and salvation! Our gracious and loving Savior died for the sins of all who ever have or will live. Jesus came to give life in the place of death and forgiveness instead of condemnation. And He Himself is the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (1 John 2:2). That forgiveness extends to all who in faith repent, even murderers of children. May the Lord grant that His Gospel would abound as never before that all may know of the salvation and forgiveness won by our Savior for you, me, and the unborn as well!