Last night, I led worship with a close friend of mine at a Pearland
youth service. The young youth pastor continued his sermon series called, “Hot
Topics”. The Lord certainly planned my presence to coincide with last night,
because the topic of the evening was Abortion. The pastor arranged a panel for
an interview segment. Three individuals lined the stage.
A man who was adopted at 3 weeks old shared the story of his
birthparents. They were just 16 when they selflessly made the choice for
adoption. The young man read aloud the letters his then teenage parents wrote explaining
their decision for his life. Tears streamed down his face as he spoke their
words, “It wasn’t because I didn’t want you or because I didn’t love you. It’s
not because I don’t care. I chose this, because I care about you so much.”
Another man opened his adoption story to the students. He
and his wife wanted so desperately to have children of their own, but doctors
diagnosed this dream as medically impossible. To the glory of God, this man
explained, this family is no longer childless. Within three years of each other, two young
girls separately chose life for their unborn children. They chose adoption.
Because of their choice, this man and his wife are now raising two beautiful
daughters!
The final panelist was Jackie. Her story gravely opposed the
previous success stories. She bravely shared her choices for abortion. When she
was 15 years old, her parents separated. Her mother spent her time dating. Her
father spent his time working. Her need for love sought fulfillment through
other outlets: drinking, drugs, and boys. The latter resulted in a pregnancy at
15. Feeling utter desperation, she chose abortion. She wanted out of the
situation, and, in her young mind, that was the only solution. Continuing her
destructive lifestyle, Jackie discovered she was pregnant again just 2 years
later. At 17 years of age, she chose a second abortion. She would chose
abortion one more time when she reached her twenties, totaling to 3 abortions.
At the time, she claimed to be a Christian. She went to
church with her family, and knew all the right answers. Looking back, however,
Jackie admits, “You cannot truly be a Christian and do this to your body.”
Years passed, and Christ changed her. She came into a new relationship with her
Loving Maker, and to this day, she stands sober. Through Celebrate Recovery,
Jackie has faced her past, faced her decisions. This, of course, means finally
confronting the 3 abortions. She recounts the years of shame and heartbreak:
every time she saw a baby, every time she saw a child the age her babies would
be now, every time she had to list the number of pregnancies in a doctor’s
office. The remembrances were haunting.
Her side-effects of the abortions reach deeper than
psychological. When Jackie married her godly husband, they immediately began
the process of trying for a family. Finally, the test read positive! In her
fourth pregnancy, she deemed herself ready and so excited! Unfortunately,
because of the effects of the abortion procedures on Jackie’s body, the baby
miscarried. The cruel darkness of loss inside of her devastatingly deepened. This
would be her last pregnancy, because she was then diagnosed with cervical
cancer. She made the decision to have a hysterectomy. She no longer can have
children of her own, an intrinsic result to her choices years earlier to kill
the children her body once carried.
Both she and her husband are healing. Our God is very much a
God of redemption, forgiveness, and restoration! Jackie finds rest in His promises.
Though she fully grieves the scars she suffers, she now lives in the sustaining
peace of Christ. They are now looking to adopt.
The Community Pregnancy Center encounters 15 year old “Jackies”
every single day. God gives us the opportunity to share not only pregnancy’s
options, but also His salvation. We have one guaranteed appointment to offer a
life of hope, not shame. Jackie’s story is such a reminder that we still have a
most-prominent purpose!
