Proverb for Life – Proverbs 14:31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (NIV)
I didn’t need my alarm to wake up on Saturday. Like most mornings, my little boys were up with the sun. They snuggled beside me, their tiny hands resting on my arm and I thanked God for their lives.
I rose wearily and walked into where Precious A was still sleeping, exhausted from the rush of her performance the night before. I kissed her still small forehead and whispered it was time to get up and shower. I looked into her precious face, still relaxed from sleep, and thanked God for her life.
Princess L stumbled into the kitchen a few minutes later, her bed head covering most of her sweet little features. I brushed her hair to the side, tucked it behind her ear, hugged her, and thanked God for her life.
Life.
It seems so simple an idea, that all human beings be given the right to live. So simple, yet somehow it has become so complicated, so divisive.
You see, I am actually a mother to five children. My arms can hold my four youngest. My hands can serve my four youngest. My heart can treasure memories of my four youngest. But I have yet to meet my oldest.
Fourteen years ago tomorrow, I ended the life of my oldest through a choice I was told was mine to make. I was convinced that having an abortion would make my life like I had never been pregnant in the first place, that I would be able to just go on the way things had before. I believed the lie that having an abortion would give me a do-over. In my selfishness, thinking my life was worth more than the human I carried, I chose.
Instead of a clean slate, I received an emptiness that almost consumed me. A hole replaced my baby, a hole that still stings my heart and makes my arms long for a baby I never got to hold.
It was this emptiness that lead me into the arms of my precious Savior. I was pregnant with Precious A at the time, still unmarried, and now completely alone because her birth father still didn’t want to be a dad. My situation was no different than when I had been pregnant the first time, but my heart was different. When I realized exactly what my sin had cost, I fell to my knees in brokenness and wept.
This weekend I celebrated the life of precious A by watching her star in the her first big show on Friday night. I watched with pride and joy as she blew the audience away and people whispered, “I had no idea she could sing like that!” On Saturday morning I celebrated her life, the life of my three other children, and remembered the short life of my oldest child by joining Hope Pregnancy Center in their first Walk For Life. 13 years ago the people at these centers stood beside me during one of the most difficult times in my life. On Saturday, I stood side by side with my family and walked. It was a honor to walk for them when they have done so much for me and countless others.
I walked for all the babies who never will. I walked for all the hurting moms who are left broken and empty. I walked for all the grandparents who have grandchildren they have yet to meet. I walked for all the moms who chose to keep their baby and struggle daily to make ends meet. I walked for all the moms who lovingly place their child into the arms of another mother trusting that mother to raise her baby because she cannot. I walked for all those children who are Hope Babies, whether they ever know it or not. I walked for all the volunteers who give of their time to serve those who are alone and scared with no thought of receiving anything in return.
Most importantly I walked because God has called me to walk. When Christ exchanged my unrighteousness for his righteousness, he also gave me a burden to help other moms who find themselves walking where I once walked. And like David in Psalm 51, I will forever cry out of God’s strength to save, redeem, comfort, and restore those who come to him with a broken spirit and heart. I will forever declare His praise.
For me, it will never be enough to vote that I support life. It will never be enough to simply say I am pro-life. I will walk until my legs can no longer carry me, actively giving hope. I will give my time and my money to help provide for needs that would otherwise go unmet. I will help in any way I can to support these women so they will choose life. I will reach out my hand to be kind to the needy. I will use every opportunity I am given to speak about the greatness of a God who loved even me!
On Saturday I walked.
Will you?
Will you reach out your hands and feet to give hope to the hopeless?
A special thank you to everyone who sponsored me for this walk.
If you or someone you know is facing an unplanned pregnancy or if you or someone you know has had an abortion and would like to talk to someone who understands and you live in the Oklahoma City or Tulsa area please call Hope Pregnancy Center or go to their website.