The second appointment of this
particular Wednesday brought a pro-choice woman into The Community Pregnancy Center. Her
pregnancy test was positive. She knew it would be positive before she even
called our center. By her own calculations, she figured she was more than
half-way through her pregnancy. The only missing piece was timing. She needed to
know how far along she was, so she could determine her eligibility for an
abortion. According to Texas law, abortion at 20 weeks or after legally cannot
be performed. If she proved even a few days shy of that 20 week mark, she
planned on driving straight from our parking lot to an abortion clinic. The
line on our test officially confirming her pregnancy solidified her choice: abortion.
By
her reasoning, she could not possibly keep this baby. That couldn’t even be a
consideration in her choice. She moved to Texas from California just 3
months ago to escape a dangerous environment. Her mother refused to support
her. Her father wasn’t even in the picture. The client knew a few friends in
the Houston area, so she rented a room in Pasadena to start a new season in her
life.
The
father of the baby wasn’t a husband or even a boyfriend. In our counseling
room, the client wouldn’t even speak his name. He didn’t even know that she
might be pregnant, because they weren’t speaking anymore. He was just one of
the many empty male figures in her past. At just 25 years old, this woman was
now in her 8th pregnancy. She suffered 2 miscarriages, bore 3
children, and chose
2 abortions. Her youngest child was just 8 months old.
8 different pregnancies
with different choices,
different men, and different scars.
She
didn’t have hope. She didn’t have support. The Client Advocate knew the only
response was the Gospel of Christ Jesus Himself. With the client’s permission,
she shared about the Son of God coming to earth to not only save us from an
eternal death, but also to save us from a lost life. He chose out of free will to accept her rightful
punishment from God, so that she could choose out of her free will
to accept His gracious salvation from God. He conquered
the fear she felt—she needed only to claim the victory. She needed only to make
that choice.
Jesus Christ was the answer to her searching. He was the understanding
parent. He was the man who would never leave. He was the Comforter
in her miscarriages, the Giver of Life in her births, and the Great Redeemer in
her abortions. He was and is the ultimate, lasting, satisfying Source.
The client prayed
and accepted Christ in her life!
She chose Jesus!
Just
minutes later, our ultrasound technician called her for a limited sonogram. A
twirling, kicking, jumping baby appeared on the screens! The client’s
calculations weren’t so far off. She was about 19 weeks into her pregnancy. She
in fact was just a few days shy of that 20 week mark, but this was a different
woman. She walked into our center to determine if she could still legally
purchase an abortion. Just an hour later, she laid on the examination table,
asking the technician to determine if her baby was a boy or a girl. She smiled.
She asked questions.
-She
changed her mind-
She chose LIFE for her baby!
“When
the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.”
Psalm 94:19
your consolations cheer my soul.”
Psalm 94:19
