The statistics are staggering. Between 1970 and 2014, 44.5 million legal
abortions occurred in the United States.
That’s an average of nearly 3000
children per day who have died at someone else’s hand – 7½ times the number
of Jews murdered in the holocaust. Nearly
25% of all women will have an abortion by the age of 45.
Social media posts tell me that I am supposed to care about
building a border wall, the effects of a government shutdown, and a host of
other politically-charged topics. Commercials
on TV tell me I’m supposed to care about the whiteness of my teeth, what kind
of car I drive, and where I should spend my next vacation. Financial advisors tell me I’m supposed to care
about the size of my retirement account and who should get my assets if I die
before I use them all up. But few seem
to care anymore about a 1973 Supreme Court decision that has cut short the
lives of so many innocent children and forever changed countless more (these babies’
mothers and their extended families).
Yesterday was Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, an annual day of remembrance of the
Roe v. Wade decision that is honored by most churches each January. If only we all thought about the effect of
this ruling more than one day a year.
Shame on us all – myself included.
I know this has always been a hot
political issue. But God has never
considered the matter open for debate.
The Bible makes it clear that ALL life is formed in the image of God and
that he personally knows each life he creates (Genesis 1:26 and Psalm
139:13-16). Jesus was very clear
that children were important for his kingdom (Matthew 19:14) and were actually the model for the kind of people
who could gain entrance (Matthew 18:3).
The 20th and 21st
century American culture that I have lived in has not been kind to God’s
truths. We are too independent and
self-centered and always seem to care more about our own comfort than some of
the things that God cares about – orphans, widows, the downtrodden, the poor,
etc. We have lost sight of the words of
Jesus’ brother, James: “Religion that is
pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows
in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27). And so we have become untouched and apathetic
about the topic of abortion.
The bottom line is this: regardless
of any man-made exceptions that make us think abortion in some cases is okay,
it is never sanctioned by God and is an abomination to him – just as any taking
of innocent life is. God’s sovereignty provides that ONLY HE has
the right to give and take life.
Every other conclusion we come to is a concoction of our sin-depraved
minds and our selfishness. Period.
Every child killed by abortion has
lost the opportunity for which they were created – the privilege of knowing God and loving him. As someone who was given that opportunity by
my parents, I don’t want to forget to pray for the 3000 (or more) women who are
contemplating abortion today. And then
tomorrow for the next 3000, and so on. And to pray for and give grace to those who made the decision for abortion in the past. I
don’t have a lot of other power to effect change in this world, but I have
heaven on my side. May I never forget
that each life matters and is dearly loved by God. And may I never take for granted the gift of
life.
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