Quote from Forum Archives on July 4, 2005, 12:38 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Word for Today, Mon, 04 Jul 2005: Debate or Serve?
Dear friends,

Happy fourth of July to all citizens of the United States of
America and also a happy Canada Day weekend to those of you who
are Canadian citizens (I grew up less than 25 miles from the
Canadian border in southeastern lower Michigan).

Larry Davies shares part two of his message on a sensitive topic:
Abortion. No matter where you stand on this issue, you are bound
to conflict with someone, even if you are neutral about it
because it so affects the lives of others. Larry takes a
compassionate approach to this sensitive topic.

I happen to agree with his viewpoint. You see, whether a person
makes the right choices in their life or not, as Christians we
need to be people who care about others, whether they behave the
way we prefer or not. There are times for instruction and there
are times for compassion. When a person faces a moment of
crisis, that is a time of compassion. It doesn't mean that you
cannot express the way you feel. In the story, Judy shared about
the pain and consequences that she had when she chose to have an
abortion. Notice that she didn't just come up to Jody and tell
her what was right and what was wrong. Clearly Jody was in no
mood to hear anything of the kind.

I think we need to remember that when we face situations where we
want to counsel others. First of all, unless and until you have
"earned the right to speak", in other words, gained the trust of
the person, you have no place at all telling someone else what to
do. However, being a friend and advising, even warning, a friend
about the troubles associated with making a particular choice can
be the only friendly thing to do.

Judy was a servant because she risked rejection for the sake of
sharing her own hurt and pain, borne out of personal experience.
To me, sharing consequences of our own poor choices is one way to
earn the trust of others and share what we have learned so that
others can avoid the mistakes that we have made.

Read this message from Larry and see if you agree with the way
Judy handled this touchy situation.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

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Did you miss part one? Click here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/abortion1.htm

Abortion: From Debate to Ministry - Part 2 Larry Davies

"Not long ago, I was in much the same position as you," Judy
said. "I moved here and worked hard to make it on my own. I was
recently divorced and terribly lonely. My first husband came to
visit our daughter but I decided to join them for dinner for old
time's sake. But that night I made a huge mistake and later
discovered I was pregnant. I was embarrassed and knew I could not
afford to take care of another baby. So, taking what I thought
was the most sensible solution, I arranged an abortion."

Jody was listening with intense interest. "So having an abortion
was a good thing for you... right?"

Judy thought for a moment... "Actually, for me it was not good at
all. My financial situation improved shortly after the abortion
but I've never completely recovered from the idea of losing my
baby. Birthdays and holidays are still difficult even after
eleven years. At times, I think about what might have been: where
my child would be. Rather than feeling relieved, my parents were
actually brokenhearted at the thought of losing a grandchild. But
Jody, something good did come out of this experience."

"What was that?" Jody asked.

"At first, I struggled with depression but a friend asked me to
attend a church service with her. I had not been to church in
years and had no desire to return but I admired how she had
overcome a few tragedies of her own. My friend seemed so content
and I wanted desperately to feel the same way. So, I reluctantly
went with her but just as I entered the church, I regretted it.
The sermon was, 'Restraining Your Sexual Desires.' Can you
believe it? It was not the message I wanted to hear."

Jody quickly chimed in, "I can identify with that."

"But I was so wrong," Judy quickly added. "I can't remember much
of what the pastor actually said but I remember feeling that he
really understood my loneliness but then he offered me another
way to cope. Here is the best part... by the time the message was
finished; I could feel God's forgiveness cleansing me and filling
me with hope. I knew there would still be struggles but I was no
longer alone."

"All of that from one sermon?" Jody asked doubtfully.

Judy laughed, "Probably not! But after that one sermon, I kept
coming back for more. Plus, everyone in the church was so
friendly that it was hard not to return. Eventually I told the
pastor about my abortion. Jody, he was so patient as I rambled on
and on. I cried and talked and cried some more. Then he gently
took my hand and said a prayer asking God's forgiveness and
healing. I don't know how to explain it but somehow, I was
different... for the first time in a long time, I felt truly
loved."

For a moment, Jody's face betrayed no emotion but then her lower
lip began to quiver and the tears flowed. Judy quietly rose from
her chair, wrapped her arms around the young girl and together
they cried. After a few minutes, Judy smiled at her newfound
friend and said, "Jody, I cannot tell you the right choice to
make but I urge you to wait and pray. God loves you and will help
you decide."

Abortion is about more than winning a debate. Whatever position
you select, there are consequences. If you are pro-choice, you
must consider the fate of the baby. A decision to be pro-life
must also consider the very real crisis facing the mother. As
Christians we have a responsibility to offer viable ministry for
everyone involved. How do we do that? We boldly reach out with
God's love and faith.

Shortly after leaving the hospital, Jody attended a class on
parenthood. A local businessman was invited to talk about
managing a budget. Half way through the presentation, he whipped
out a wad of $20 bills and began to distribute one to each
student. Now he had their complete attention: "Someday each of
you will be a parent. This $20 is a gift of love from my church
to you for your future child. I have written our church phone
number on each bill so that you can call us for anything you
need."

While the other students joked of spending the money, Jody sat at
her desk stunned. She had been told God would guide her choice.
Was this it? Quietly, she bowed her head and prayed for courage.

Next Week: Don't miss the exciting conclusion to "Abortion: From
Debate to Ministry"

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--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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