This isn’t an argument for or against abortion. Everyone has strong opinions about that. But I think we can agree that abortion wouldn’t exist in a perfect world.
So here’s a hand reaching out to you who’ve had an abortion and your life hasn’t been the same since. You feel a pain no surgeon can remove. Sometimes you wonder if that little life still exists.
On visits to Japan, I’ve noticed that many women who have had abortions seek out mizuko kuyo, a “ritual of apology and remembrance.” As one described the reason: “What started out as a regrettable necessity turns into persistent, sometimes haunting, remorse.”
What about that little life? Each cell held a personal code that would have decided every detail from eye color to nose shape. To Jeremiah, God said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” (Jer 1:5) Yes, God designed your baby.
Do His plans for a child fail because we fail? King David sinned by taking the wife of one of his generals and fathering a child by her. The boy was sickly and eventually died. The king knew he had sinned, but also knew his child was safe with God. He said, “I shall go to him.” (2 Sam 12:23)
Jesus said, “Be careful that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father.” (Mt 18:10)
But aren’t we all born in sin? David wrote, “Surely I was sinful at birth.” (Ps 51:5) We don’t have to teach children how to do wrong! Yet for those little ones who haven’t made choices to go away from God, Jesus said: “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Lk 18:16)
Think about heaven where your child lives. “There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev 21:4) It really is “The Land of Beginning Again.” No abused women or neglected children. No hearts filled with guilt, fear, or regrets. Perfect love, peace, and joy.
You know what that means? Something else won’t be in heaven. “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful.” (Rev 21:27) So is there any hope for people like us? Is there a way back to God? King David says Yes!
How could he, who made such awful choices, know he’d be with his son again? He found the secret! “Blessed are those…whose sins are covered” (Ps 32:1)
Yes, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23) We haven’t even come up to our own standards, let alone God’s! Yet it’s possible to be forgiven if we agree with God about our sin. We also must accept Christ as Savior. If we do, “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 Jn 1:7).
Will you see your child again? “He who believes in Me has everlasting life,” Jesus said. (Jn 6:47) You don’t have to wait until you die to find out if it’s true. “He who has the Son has life” (1 Jn 5:12)
What a wonderful reunion!
Article by Jabe Nicholson first published in the Commercial Dispatch, Sunday, July 3, 2022