I’m becoming increasingly more uncomfortable with easy, churchy answers and half truths irritate me. The thoughtless arrogance of the religious has marketed my faith in a way that I resist on what feels like a daily basis. So when it comes to hard topics, I’ve felt myself cowering. Not because I fear others opposing my opinions, although I do desire for others to like me. My concern and hesitation is not being able to articulate Truth in a way that is soaked in the same grace that I’ve been offered. My convictions are strong. I make no apologies for that. What is equally important to me though, is that before anyone knows what I believe, they know Who I believe. Christians, before we can speak to hard things, we must connect before we ever attempt to correct. Before anyone ever knows where we stand on hard topics, they need to know the redeeming, and faithful love of our Father. They need to know that there is a God in Heaven that sees them, and longs to know them. He has set eternity in each of our hearts and created each of us in His image with a purpose in mind. This is fundamental. 

That being said, I want to delicately speak to something that’s so dear to my heart. To preface this, I’d like to say, I know women who have chosen both abortion and life. They are both one and the same to me. Women worthy of love and respect. It’s crucial, however, for Christians to articulate the conversation around this topic in a very clear, gracious way. Every, and I mean every human life has value. I’d ask that you spare me the argument that actual life starts at a certain number of weeks. From the moment of conception, this is life. This is how our Creator created. So often times I feel as though this argument is a ploy to make us feel better about killing our babies. I’m just simply not buying it. 

Have you heard people say, “I’m pro-life, but…”? I have. I’ve even wrestled with my own thoughts in regards to this subject. (Many pro-choicers will even say, they wouldn’t ever have an abortion, but they don’t want to tell someone else they can’t) What I mean is, one of the big push backs you’ll receive in debating these circumstances is scenarios where women have been raped or in instances of incest that have resulted in pregnancy. I want to start here by side stepping for a second and saying that I absolutely cannot fathom the pain, despair and confusion that being perpetrated in these ways can effect someone’s life. It’s evil and must be called accordingly. I would be the first in line to validate the most severe consequence to these heinous crimes. There is absolutely no excuse in which these situations are ever acceptable. My heart breaks for women who have endured such pain. That being said, I want to go back to what I said before. Every single human life has value. I can no longer be silent for the voiceless on the premise that these cases are the norm. Spend even just a little amount of time researching the statistics and it’s clear. A very small percentage of abortions each year fall under these two categories. On a personal note, it’s very rare in any case for me to state my stance on a situation I’ve never been in myself. I’ve been around long enough now to know to “never say never.” I am careful and methodical when it comes to determining why I believe what I believe. I always try to see it from all angles. Even in circumstances where I vehemently disagree. So this is where I land and I would encourage those that hold a Biblical world view to consider and protect. God’s word is bursting with promise and life. When studied in its entirety, (which I’m always in the process of doing) we see that bad things happen. Bad things happen to bad people, bad things happen to good people. Bad things happen as a result of sin and bad things happen as a result of living in a fallen world. This is our reality. When we come to faith in Christ, and only through Christ, the old is gone, the new is here. These promises of hope become our own. We need hope in darkness. It’s in this hope that we can look deep into the face of a woman who has been violated and left with an unplanned pregnancy with the deepest compassion and love. With a heart that says, ‘What has been done to you is wrong, and I’m so sorry. I would be honored to walk along side you during this process and support you in any way I can.’ We can be a constant reminder in the midst of darkness that we serve a God that works in all things for the good of those that love Him. We have options Christians. Options that don’t involve devaluing lives. EVERY SINGLE HUMAN LIFE HAS VALUE regardless of the circumstances in which it was created. Don’t let our culture move you on this.

A second part to my many thoughts on the matter are the unseen effects. What many who advocate for abortion won’t tell you is the long term emotional toll that killing your baby will leave behind. This isn’t a normal part of the conversation. Look up studies done on the mental impact of abortion. Not surprisingly guilt, shame and anxiety top the charts in these findings. 

So what’s at the core? I always ask myself this question. Even in my own life. What is my “why?” Usually the longer I dig, the more I ask, the uglier it gets. The god of self is a real thing. Since the beginning of time we’ve decided we know better than the Creator. That’s what got us into this mess to begin with. So in exploring these things, I’ve noticed that not all that oppose my stance are just evil people that want to kill babies. There are many, not all, but many delightful, well rounded people who simply don’t see abortion in the same light as I do. What it comes down to on a fundamental level is this. So often in my life I think I know better. That’s real. I think I know a better way. I have a better idea. I can get there faster. If I just take matters into my own hands, I’ve got what it takes. I’ll be the best, I’ll do the best. I ignorantly put my trust in the god of self. This is original sin. And friends, until we wrap our minds around the basics of life and the design that was originally created, we will always find ourselves in turmoil and in conversations about whether or not it’s okay to kill our babies. Just like so many other hot topics of our day, it’s a heart issue. The good news is, there is a better way. So Christians, stand your ground. Do your research. Know why you believe what you believe and stand by that. Our battle is not again flesh and blood. So battle on both in the spiritual and the physical and don’t back down. Perfect love drives out fear!

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those that love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18