So I am so overwhelmed with excitement today that I must share!
Yesterday, as most of you know, was Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. I had the opportunity to share my testimony at Evangel Temple in Fort Smith. I shared the pain of my abortion and then shared the freedom I now have because I took Jesus by the hand and allowed Him to carry me through the healing process. I shared last night the significance of the abortion recovery program and how this Bible study is God breathed. I also invited the women of this beautiful church who are in pain from their own abortion to feel free to come speak to me after the service but if that would be too hard for them then to please contact me through the center.
After the service, I was approached by a beautiful daughter of God. With boldness she told me that she needs recovery. PRAISE GOD! She knows God has forgiven her but she is still in pain from her choice. She will be in one of my future groups!
I also received a call Saturday night from a member of 1st Baptist in Van Buren telling me of a young woman who is also hurting from an abortion. I was put in contact with this sweet woman and was able to talk with her about my experience and she shared her pain with me. She is not a believer yet so I was able to share with her who exactly Jesus is and why He was put on this earth. She feels she is unworthy of His love because of what she did. I got to share with her the unconditional love that God has for her and that He sent Jesus to the cross for all sins, including her abortion. His blood, His death is sufficient for ALL who call upon His name and believe. She will also be joining a future “Forgiven & Set Free” study. I just ask for all who are reading this to please lift her up in your daily prayers. Jesus is after her heart and I do believe He is going to get it.
So much is already happening in 2011. I get the privilege of going back to South Side Baptist in Alma this Sunday to share my testimony. Next month I am going back to my home church, First Baptist Van Buren, and will be speaking to the youth. There is just no better place to be than in the will of God. Is it easy for me to tell my story in front of crowds? No, it really isn’t, but I have the Holy Spirit of God who carries me through and amazing things are happening in many lives. I give all the glory to God. I want to leave you with one of my favorite quotes which was given to me by a precious friend when God was working in my life and I was struggling with what He was calling me to do.
“No matter what happens, no matter what obstacle, no matter what challenge, you have a faithful Father who has called you and will enable, equip, and provide you with everything you need to do His will.”
Thank you Michelle, for sharing this with me. It has given me strength, courage and hope more times than I can count. I keep it taped to my computer so I am reminded of this truth every day. Thank you for continuously being a prayer warrior for me.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Sanctity of Life. Then and Now.
I will never forget when I realized the significance and the meaning of Sanctity of Life. It was one day in January of 1991. My mom and I were making a run to the mall and we always took the Grand Ave. exit. As we approached Central Christian Church something caught my eye. Hundreds of crosses littered the property of the church. Then something else caught my eye. It was an explanation as to why the crosses were there. They were placed in the ground to memorialize the babies that were aborted the previous year. It then became painfully clear that one of those crosses represented my baby whose life I chose to end just five months earlier. It was also at that time that I came out of the relief and denial stage of what I had done. Anger set in. Anger at this church for making me feel like I had no heart, anger at the doctor who referred me to the abortion clinic, anger at the abortion clinic for not counseling me or offering an ultra sound so that I could see that there was indeed a life growing inside of me, anger at my parents for not having the faith that we could still make it with a baby, anger at the father for abandoning me and making me feel like I had no choice, but most of all I was angry at myself because in the end the choice was mine. I chose to end the life of my child.
I could have told my parents that I wanted to keep her. I could have ran out of that abortion clinic and never looked back. I could have told that doctor “no thanks” when he gave us the number to the clinic and I could have certainly made it just fine without the father’s support but I didn’t do any of these things and I was left to deal with the consequences of the choice I made. The “what ifs” didn’t matter anymore.
It was on this day that I made a mental note that this was a day that was recognized every year so I made sure the following years to turn my head when driving by this church thinking as long as I didn’t see it then I could pretend it was just another day. I also learned which Sunday my church would be recognizing Sanctity of Life and I would make sure I was sick on that day.
But today I walk in freedom all because of a living Savior. Jesus is my Hero and I am His daughter. A daughter who He loves so much that He shed His blood for me and its that blood that has been washed over me and has cleansed me of my painful choice. Yes, Jesus hung on that cross and died an excruciating death so that I would be forgiven of all my sin, even for choosing to end the life of my unborn daughter. There’s a song out right now by Tenth Avenue North called “You Are More”. The lyrics speak specifically to the women who have made painful choices in their past and it offers hope and redemption through the love of Christ. The following words are my favorite part of the song because I know firsthand that these words stand true.
'Cause this is not about what you've done,
But what's been done for you.
This is not about where you've been,
But where your brokenness brings you to
This is not about what you feel,
But what He felt to forgive you,
And what He felt to make you loved.
You are more than the choices that you've made,
you are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
you are more than the problems you create,
you’ve been remade.
I have been remade. God dried my tears and took the broken pieces of my heart and carefully and perfectly mended those pieces into a perfect clean heart with no evidence that it was ever broken
Today when Sanctity of Life comes around I don’t feel pain anymore. Instead I feel His love as He holds me close and I will march on and run the race God has called me to run and I will do this until its completion, whenever that might be.
I could have told my parents that I wanted to keep her. I could have ran out of that abortion clinic and never looked back. I could have told that doctor “no thanks” when he gave us the number to the clinic and I could have certainly made it just fine without the father’s support but I didn’t do any of these things and I was left to deal with the consequences of the choice I made. The “what ifs” didn’t matter anymore.
It was on this day that I made a mental note that this was a day that was recognized every year so I made sure the following years to turn my head when driving by this church thinking as long as I didn’t see it then I could pretend it was just another day. I also learned which Sunday my church would be recognizing Sanctity of Life and I would make sure I was sick on that day.
But today I walk in freedom all because of a living Savior. Jesus is my Hero and I am His daughter. A daughter who He loves so much that He shed His blood for me and its that blood that has been washed over me and has cleansed me of my painful choice. Yes, Jesus hung on that cross and died an excruciating death so that I would be forgiven of all my sin, even for choosing to end the life of my unborn daughter. There’s a song out right now by Tenth Avenue North called “You Are More”. The lyrics speak specifically to the women who have made painful choices in their past and it offers hope and redemption through the love of Christ. The following words are my favorite part of the song because I know firsthand that these words stand true.
'Cause this is not about what you've done,
But what's been done for you.
This is not about where you've been,
But where your brokenness brings you to
This is not about what you feel,
But what He felt to forgive you,
And what He felt to make you loved.
You are more than the choices that you've made,
you are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
you are more than the problems you create,
you’ve been remade.
I have been remade. God dried my tears and took the broken pieces of my heart and carefully and perfectly mended those pieces into a perfect clean heart with no evidence that it was ever broken
Today when Sanctity of Life comes around I don’t feel pain anymore. Instead I feel His love as He holds me close and I will march on and run the race God has called me to run and I will do this until its completion, whenever that might be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)