40 Years: Who will speak up for them?
I remember standing in the hospital when the doctor told us that because Micah was so early he was required by law to ask us whether we wanted to save her or not. I couldn't believe it. What sort of question is that? "Did we want them to try to save our daughter?" But, that is where we are as a nation. These are evil days.
Today, as I look at Micah (this little image of God; this little combination of Olivia and Bryan), I can hardly believe that moment happened. "Did we want them to try to save our daughter?!" Of course, the answer was never in doubt for us. God is her maker, who are we to decide not to give our child the chance to live? YES, we wanted them to save her! We loved Micah already. We were already her parents. Olivia was willing to die for her to have the best chance for life! I would have as well. And, like I said, God is her maker, not me. So, YES! Without hesitation, YES! YES! YES!
We chose life for Micah, and she is a living miracle because of that choice. Because God made Micah, because He trusted her to us, because she is created in His image, we had to save her. So, we spoke up for her. We chose her. Yet, statistically 3,200 other children were not saved that day. 3,200 other little Micah's, most of whom would have had a much easier start than our daughter, were not chosen. Instead they weren't chosen. They were rejected, murdered by the lie of elective abortion, literally thrown away. 3,200! That number just seems so unbelievable to me. (And 3,200 is conservative. I recently heard the actual number this year is 3,500.)
Maybe this isn't the right time to bring this up? Perhaps I should wait? After all, isn't there enough tragedy going on in the world right now? I know! I know! But, 3,200 day after day after day after day... Really? What if some pregnant teenager or single mom whose baby was just diagnosed with a disability googles "abortion" and finds my site? What if I'm the only voice they hear that tells them the truth: that their baby is already a real person, created in the image of a God who loves her so much that she was hand-picked by God to give that child life? What if no one else tells her about all the great families out their praying day after day for a baby to adopt? Or, the great churches who will stand with her if she chooses to raise that baby herself? What if I wait or say nothing, and she only finds lies and propaganda instead? What if she never gets to see her child smile at her the way Micah smiles at me because I didn't take the time to tell her the truth? Rather, what if I post this blog today, and 3,200 becomes 3,199, even if just for one day?
Perhaps that is why I should write this post? Sure, I could wait until tomorrow. I could wait until next week. I could wait until next year! But then we'd only have more pain and suffering to deal with, more broken hearts and scared souls. How many more victims do we need? How many more broken mothers who didn't get to be mothers? How many more children do we want to talk about: 3,200; 23,000, 1,200,000!? Perhaps today is the best time to be reminded of God's truth: these babies are just as much people as we are.
Isn't it enough that so many of these innocent children are lost each day through miscarriage and still birth? Isn't it enough that so many of these mothers feel hurt and alone? Shouldn't they be offered real hope in the life of their child instead of the lie that their "problem" can just be "taken care of." I know the pain of loosing a child and the joy of having one. Believe me, there is a big difference! Aren't there enough silently suffering women and men out there in our society who believed that lie only to learn (too late) that the pain of your child's death still comes, only with a deeper sense of guilt? Isn't it time for truth?
I cannot tell you how it grieves my heart that this sin is so prevalent in our country. I want to shout out our guilt as a nation; to confess it, confront it, and stop it. But, I can do so little against such evil. Perhaps you feel the same way: small, overwhelmed, ineffectual? No matter, we can still be a witness for the truth. We can still pray that on any given day in our nation 3,200 will become 3,199; that one life will be spared, just as ours was spared. {The year I was born 2 out of every 9 babies in our country were aborted.}
Sure, we could wait. But, them we will forget. We will grow numb again. We will do nothing, and having done nothing, nothing will change. Day after day, year after year, nothing will change: 3,200; 3,200; 3,200; 3,200; 3,200... We spoke up for Micah. Who will speak up for them? 3,200 would-have-been toddlers. 3,200 miracles. 3,200 real people, just like you and me. 3,200 images of God. 3,200 little Micahs. 3,200 every day for 40 years! Sure, we could wait. But, who else but the Body of Christ will love those moms enough to tell them the truth in hope and in love? Who else will give those dads the courage to be dads? Who will choose those children over the lies of a fallen culture: Who will speak up for them while we wait?
Today, as I look at Micah (this little image of God; this little combination of Olivia and Bryan), I can hardly believe that moment happened. "Did we want them to try to save our daughter?!" Of course, the answer was never in doubt for us. God is her maker, who are we to decide not to give our child the chance to live? YES, we wanted them to save her! We loved Micah already. We were already her parents. Olivia was willing to die for her to have the best chance for life! I would have as well. And, like I said, God is her maker, not me. So, YES! Without hesitation, YES! YES! YES!
We chose life for Micah, and she is a living miracle because of that choice. Because God made Micah, because He trusted her to us, because she is created in His image, we had to save her. So, we spoke up for her. We chose her. Yet, statistically 3,200 other children were not saved that day. 3,200 other little Micah's, most of whom would have had a much easier start than our daughter, were not chosen. Instead they weren't chosen. They were rejected, murdered by the lie of elective abortion, literally thrown away. 3,200! That number just seems so unbelievable to me. (And 3,200 is conservative. I recently heard the actual number this year is 3,500.)
Maybe this isn't the right time to bring this up? Perhaps I should wait? After all, isn't there enough tragedy going on in the world right now? I know! I know! But, 3,200 day after day after day after day... Really? What if some pregnant teenager or single mom whose baby was just diagnosed with a disability googles "abortion" and finds my site? What if I'm the only voice they hear that tells them the truth: that their baby is already a real person, created in the image of a God who loves her so much that she was hand-picked by God to give that child life? What if no one else tells her about all the great families out their praying day after day for a baby to adopt? Or, the great churches who will stand with her if she chooses to raise that baby herself? What if I wait or say nothing, and she only finds lies and propaganda instead? What if she never gets to see her child smile at her the way Micah smiles at me because I didn't take the time to tell her the truth? Rather, what if I post this blog today, and 3,200 becomes 3,199, even if just for one day?
Perhaps that is why I should write this post? Sure, I could wait until tomorrow. I could wait until next week. I could wait until next year! But then we'd only have more pain and suffering to deal with, more broken hearts and scared souls. How many more victims do we need? How many more broken mothers who didn't get to be mothers? How many more children do we want to talk about: 3,200; 23,000, 1,200,000!? Perhaps today is the best time to be reminded of God's truth: these babies are just as much people as we are.
Isn't it enough that so many of these innocent children are lost each day through miscarriage and still birth? Isn't it enough that so many of these mothers feel hurt and alone? Shouldn't they be offered real hope in the life of their child instead of the lie that their "problem" can just be "taken care of." I know the pain of loosing a child and the joy of having one. Believe me, there is a big difference! Aren't there enough silently suffering women and men out there in our society who believed that lie only to learn (too late) that the pain of your child's death still comes, only with a deeper sense of guilt? Isn't it time for truth?
I cannot tell you how it grieves my heart that this sin is so prevalent in our country. I want to shout out our guilt as a nation; to confess it, confront it, and stop it. But, I can do so little against such evil. Perhaps you feel the same way: small, overwhelmed, ineffectual? No matter, we can still be a witness for the truth. We can still pray that on any given day in our nation 3,200 will become 3,199; that one life will be spared, just as ours was spared. {The year I was born 2 out of every 9 babies in our country were aborted.}
Sure, we could wait. But, them we will forget. We will grow numb again. We will do nothing, and having done nothing, nothing will change. Day after day, year after year, nothing will change: 3,200; 3,200; 3,200; 3,200; 3,200... We spoke up for Micah. Who will speak up for them? 3,200 would-have-been toddlers. 3,200 miracles. 3,200 real people, just like you and me. 3,200 images of God. 3,200 little Micahs. 3,200 every day for 40 years! Sure, we could wait. But, who else but the Body of Christ will love those moms enough to tell them the truth in hope and in love? Who else will give those dads the courage to be dads? Who will choose those children over the lies of a fallen culture: Who will speak up for them while we wait?
"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..."
-Jeremiah 1:5
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