Tag Archives: hope

Not Captive to Sin or Fear

Posted on by

There is … no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
(Romans 8:1-2)

Alienation from God began when the first man and woman doubted their Creator. How could this happen? Satan, who opposes God and despises the humans so dear to God’s heart, tempted Eve.

Satan knew the order of God’s creation. He knew that to man were given the instructions to resist evil, do good, and defend life. But a sly and cunning Satan ignored the man and approached the woman. He asked, “Did God actually say ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'”? (Genesis 3:1) In that moment, the woman doubted God and trusted her own reasoning. Instead of turning her back on Satan, she engaged him in conversation. Not only did she speak for God, she added words of her own, answering, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'” (Genesis 3:2-3) Eve sinned when she failed to trust God and added to His Word (compare Genesis 3:2-3 with Genesis 2:16-17).

This is how temptation works. After we doubt God’s Word, we more easily reject it and then attempt to establish our own standard of right and wrong. We put ourselves in God’s place.

Was the woman alone in her sin? As the head and steward of God’s creation, Adam was responsible for what happened even though the woman was the first to disobey. The man failed to trust God’s Word for life and use it to resist evil. The eyes of man and woman were both opened when Adam at the forbidden fruit. “God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?'” (Genesis 3:9)

Alienation from God was felt immediately. For the first time, the man and the woman experienced self-consciousness in their nakedness. Sin and a new emotion of shame separated them from one another and from God. Adam and Eve attempted to cover themselves and hide.

There are always bitter consequences for sin. But even though Adam and Eve were sent away from the perfect garden into a sin-tainted world, God promised a Savior who is Christ Jesus the Lord.

Satan continues to deceive us today. When a woman is pregnant with a child she didn’t plan, Satan asks, “Did God actually say that He creates each child in his or her mother’s womb?” ( Yes! He does say this in Psalm 139:13-16.) “Did God actually say that He knows us before we are born?” (Yes! He does say this in Jeremiah 1:5.) “Did God actually say that taking your child’s life is murder?” (Yes! He does say this in Proverbs 6:16-17.) “Did God actually say that a woman’s body is not her own?” (Yes! He does say this in 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.) “Did God actually say that He will care for both mother and child?” (Yes! He does say this in Isaiah 40:11.)

Satan alone is not responsible for our sins. He may actively try to seduce and persuade us, but we are responsible every time we doubt God and want to become our own gods. It is a daily struggle: our will against God’s will. Too often, fear is the driving force in our lives. We are tempted to make wrong choices when we fear being unloved, rejected, or out of control. After wrong choices are made, fear rises again. In shame, we fear that God will stop loving us.

But there is hope! Because of what Jesus has done for us, we are not captive to sin or fear. “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!'” (Romans 8:15)

There is hope! Even after the shame of abortion, hope comes anew in the Father’s love. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

God does not want us to remain alienated from Him. We alienate ourselves by rationalizing or refusing to confess the sin of abortion. But, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Dear Abba Father, with You nothing is impossible. Your only Son, Jesus Christ, paid the price for my abortion sin. Believing this, I do not have to fear separation from You. I am forgiven and set free to live a new life as Your child. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Devotion One in No More Weeping by Linda Bartlett
Lutherans For Life.org #LFL408

Healing for Abortion’s Pain

Posted on by

“No one told me how I would feel after the abortion,” said Mary.

“One friend reminded me that abortion is legal… therefore it’s ok,” explained Mary. “Another friend assured me that what I was about to do was a ‘good thing.’ Even my dad told me that having the abortion was the ‘best choice’ considering the circumstances. At the abortion clinic, well, everyone acted as if abortion was no big deal.”

But Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortion in the world, admits that nine out of ten women who have abortions suffer some trauma. This trauma is comparable to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Fay Wattleton, a former president of Planned Parenthood, said, “Who believes that abortion is something other than killing?” Adrienne Asch, a former board member of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), said, “It makes sense to perform abortions in the most humanitarian way possible, but there’s nothing especially humanitarian about death.” Even little girls know that mommies are supposed to care for their babies, not kill them.

Abortion is not natural. It goes against the very nature of a woman. A woman’s body is created to bear and nurture life. This is why so many women who willingly (or unwillingly) choose to have an abortion spend so long in denial. For some, it is a matter of months. For others, it is many long years.

Even the doctors who perform abortions and the nurses who assist them admit to feelings of guilt and remorse. Some hide the guilt so deeply inside that they hearts become hardened. But others express the greatest of sorrows. “I do feel you’d be an abnormal person if you could really honestly say that abortion didn’t bother you at all,” observed one abortionist. “It goes against all things that are natural. It’s a termination of life, however you look at it. It just goes against the grain. It must.”

Many of those once involved in the abortion business have run to the foot of the Cross. It is there that they pray for God–and the women they have hurt–to forgive them.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “Every choice makes you into someone a little different than you were before the choice.” When we make a choice contrary to God’s will, we can either continue to rebel against Him or we can seek harmony with God, others, and ourselves. Only the Holy Spirit can bring such harmony. Only the love of God can bring peace to our souls.

Regret for an abortion and the sadness that follows such a decision may never completely disappear. On the anniversary date of an abortion, it is not unusual to experience flashbacks or depression. Certain sounds may trigger memories of the procedure. Spring, with its burst of new life and hope, is often a time of depression for the mother of an aborted baby. Some women, when in the presence of children, may wonder what their child would have looked like or what they might be doing today.

God promises to bring comfort and “bind up wounds.” Think of how faithful God was to His rebellious people, the Israelites! His own chosen people constantly disobeyed, and yet God said, “[F]ear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

There is no need for self-inflicted punishment. Instead, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for reaching down into the pit of my life and rescuing me from despair. You won the victory over all that is evil. You cover me with mercy and love. Because of You, I have a future and a hope. In Your name I pray.

AMEN.

Devotion Six in No More Weeping by Linda Bartlett
http://www.lutheransforlife.org #LFL408

 

 

We Are More Than the Choices We’ve Made

Posted on by

All of us — no matter what our wrong choices may be — need to remember:

We are more than those choices.

Our wrong choices, failures and sins do not define us nor do they have to hold us captive.

In Christ — and because of what He has done for us — we are sons and daughters of God.

Please listen… and watch You Are More by Tenth Avenue North.   

The Pain and Defense of Abortion

Posted on by

How do we talk about abortion as a sin without hurting women who have had an abortion or who defend it as a personal or political issue?

In the church, we talk about sin all the time.  That’s because we are sinful people.  We fail to put God first in our lives.  We fail to remember the commands of God and do them.  We fail to put our trust in God’s Word and use it for making decisions of life.  We fail to love our neighbor as ourselves.  All of this is sinning against God.  Not one of us is innocent.  In fact, the whole earth is groaning under the weight of sin.  But, the Creator of our lives did not leave us without hope.  Jesus left heaven to become the only sacrifice needed by a holy God.  Jesus took the punishment for sin that we deserve.  Because of Jesus’ death and victory over evil, we don’t have to remain captive to the deception of abortion.  We don’t have to carry the burden of abortion… or any other sin.

For the sake of women, we must talk about abortion… with discerning care.  Some say, “How could a woman do such a thing!”  This statement is not intended to be cruel, but is heard as a judgment.  Others, hoping to be less judgmental and more politically correct, say, “I would never have an abortion myself, but I believe every woman should have the right to choose.”  This statement may seem compassionate, but to the woman who has had an abortion, it sounds like a comparison: “Abortion is wrong and because I am a good person I wouldn’t do such a terrible thing, but women who are incapable of doing the right thing should have a choice.”  Both of these responses are condemning.  Neither offer hope before or after an abortion.

There is a third response.  It is to speak the truth with the welcoming manner of Christ.  It does not matter if we are speaking to a group or visiting with only two or three others.  We can explain how the piercing blade of abortion ends the life of a pre-born baby even as it wounds that baby’s mother.  The wound may be physical or psychological.  It is always spiritual.  Mary is the mother of two aborted children.  She wrote, “I believed that abortion was the sin too big to be forgiven . . . the reason I am writing you is to thank you.  If, years earlier, I had heard the words of compassion and forgiveness that I heard from you today, I would not have had a second abortion.  I would have been reconciled to God and turned my life around a lot sooner instead of wallowing in the muck of sin and accusation.”

“Marys” are everywhere.  Some are still in denial.  Some are angry, resentful or depressed.  Others are waiting . . . for a word of hope.  To be sure, the Word of Truth presses hard on the source of pain.  But, when confessed, forgiveness is real (Psalm 32:3-5).  In Jesus, the captive is set free (Galatians 5:1). We must not keep silent at the risk of offense.  We must not speak harshly with arms crossed and backs turned.  We must not keep Jesus’ promise of hope to ourselves.

Instead, with carefully chosen words, we can welcome the wounded.  The wounded are those who are convicted by their “choice,” but also those who still defend that “choice.”   We can do this beginning in our own congregations by placing abortion healing brochures in the women’s restroom.  (Don’t be surprised by how quickly they disappear.)  We can lead a post-abortion Bible study.  We can host a Titus 2 Retreat where women in all circumstances and seasons of life contrast the deception of the world with the life-changing Word.  We can help men and women see themselves the way God sees them.  Identity matters.  How we see ourselves and others affects our choices.  We are not bound to sexual identity nor lives lived in fear.  We do not need to see our children as sacrifices we have to make.  Baptized, we are sons and daughters of God in Christ who can “love [even] their [littlest] neighbor as themselves” (Mark 12:31).

Titus 2 for Life       Ezerwoman

Lutherans For Life

The Secret Pain

Posted on by

Mother’s Day.  Father’s Day.  Grandparent’s Day.  Life Sunday.  These are not happy events for those wounded by abortion.  These days intended to celebrate life can, instead, be a reminder of lives lost and relationships denied.

For 40 years, abortion has been the subject of heated debate.  But for millions of American women, and for the men, grandparents, siblings, and friends in the life of those women, abortion is not a debate.  It is a loss.  It is the loss of a son, daughter, grandchild.  That’s because motherhood and fatherhood – and, yes, grandparenthood – begin at conception.

Many of us know someone who has lost a child through miscarriage.  We grieve with them, offer the peace of Jesus Christ, and entrust the precious little one to God.  But abortion is different.  It is a secret pain.  It is a loss that is carried deep inside and alone.

The great loss of life should pierce the heart of every one of us.  The numbers are staggering.  More than 3,000 women have abortions in this country every day.  These women are in our families, congregations, and circles of friends.  They are Christians who worship with us and go to Bible study with us.  I know some of these women.  At last count, 24 of my friends, relatives or acquaintances have had abortions.  Eighteen of these women are Lutheran.  Three are the wives of pastors.  At least three have had more than one abortion.  These are just the ones who have told me.

Abortion has created a new mission field for the church.  There is a need to enter this mission field – but first, we must understand that we will almost certainly encourager denial, anger, self-hatred, distrust, grief, remorse, and the natural, but perhaps deeply buried desire for reconciliation with the Giver of Life.

For those in denial, our message must gently convict.  For those already convicted, our message must offer hope as our arms are open wide.  Just as we have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, we have been given a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

When I became a grandmother for the first time, I realized that holding my grandchild is surprisingly different than holding my own children.  Each gaze upon the child of my child is a generational moment.  The room of my heart excitedly receives this little one.  The room of my life rearranges itself.

Often, when I am holding my grandchild, I think of the thousands of other women of my generation whose arms will never hold a grandchild.  Their arms will never hold the child of their child.  That’s because pregnant women believed the lie: “Make this one sacrifice and those a better time to be a mother.”  Although the room of their hearts may have whispered a word of welcome, the room of their lives did not.

Because these women either did not hear or did not trust God’s promise, the world took their every thought and desire captive.  Tossed in a tumultuous sea, these women reached toward “salvation” in the guise of a “quick and painless” abortion.

But the desperate and demeaning act goes against all that is maternal and natural.  Sent away from the abortion clinic, women are abandoned to burdens of guilt, grief, and anger that threaten to pull them into cold and lonely darkness… away from the Giver of Life.

So, how do you and I respond?

Some say, “How could a woman do such a thing?”  This statement is not intended to be cruel, but it is heard as a judgment.

Others, hoping to be less judgmental, say, “I would never have an abortion myself, but I believe every woman should have the right to choose.”  This statement sounds compassionate, but to the woman who has had an abortion, it sounds like a comparison: “Abortion is wrong and because I am a good person I wouldn’t do such a terrible thing, but women who are incapable of doing the right thing should have a choice.”

Both statements are condemning.  Neither offer hope before or after an abortion.

There is a third response: Trying to imitate Jesus.  Because He loves us so much, Jesus left heaven to come live among us.  To be human.  To experience our fears, disappointments, and sorrow.  Jesus took on our disgrace.  Our burdens.  Our sin.  Only by living under the Cross are we able to see those hurt by sin (including ourselves) in a new way.

Days on which we celebrate life are meant to be happy days, but for many they are not.  In the heart of nearly every post-abortive woman is an empty place that is forever expectant and waiting.  Although she may have believed the lie that there was no room, a cry of sorrow echoes in the room that was always there… waiting.

We cannot go back in time to erase years of legalized abortion nor the effect on women, men, children, and society.  Mothers who once believed there was no room in their lives for a baby now mourn the child whose heart beat so close beneath their own.  Fathers who once believed there was no room in their life for a baby are now angry at themselves for failing to protect their son or daughter.  Grandparents who once believed there was no room in their lives for a grandchild now dream of little ones that would have filled the rooms of their homes with laughter.

Sometimes, when I am holding my grandchild, my thoughts turn to Mary.  She approached me after I finished speaking to a group of Lutheran women.  She wanted my address.  In the letters that followed, she confessed two abortions.  “There has been so much pain in my heart,” Mary wrote.  “I could understand how God could forgive a murderer, but not someone who has killed their own child.”

This pain and the belief that she had committed the sin “too big to be forgiven” held Mary captive.  But, “the reason I want to tell you my story,” Mary continued, “is to thank you!  If, years earlier, I had heart the words of compassion and forgiveness that I heard from you, I would not have had a second abortion.  I would have been reconciled to God and turned my life around a lot earlier instead of wallowing in the muck of sin and accusation.”

A Word of Hope

“Marys” are everywhere… and they are waiting.  They are silently waiting for a word of hope.  Their broken hearts long to be healed.  God has given us His Word to speak in love.  To be sure, the Word of Truth presses hard on the source of pain.

When I kept silent,” wrote the psalmist, “my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.  Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:3-5.

There is hope for women and men who have been pierced by abortion’s blade.  It is Jesus!  In Jesus, all who confess their sin are cleansed and forgiven (1 Timothy 1:15).  In Jesus, the captive is set free (Galatians 5:1).

Jesus fills the empty and expectant rooms of hearts… and heals the secret pain.

(Linda Bartlett, First published in The Lutheran Witness 5/2003)

Grandparents and Abortion

Posted on by

I remember the Sunday when my pastor told our congregation about Katie, his daughter.  Katie was not married, but she was pregnant.  That, said pastor, made him a grandfather.  He confessed that the circumstances were not what God intended; nevertheless, he and his family promised to give Katie all the support she needed.  The promise was kept.

Katie’s son — my godson — knows the love of both mother and grandparents.  Katie took the vocation of motherhood seriously.  She put her son’s needs before her own, yet still managed to graduate from college and became a teacher.  Katie’s mom often traveled three hours one way in order to offer support to her daughter and grandson.  When I think of my godson, I am reminded of young Timothy who was nurtured in faith by Eunice and Lois, his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5).  Life was not easy for this family.  Adjustments were made.  But, as my godson prepares to graduate from high school, I know he has brought great joy to his mother and grandparents.

Two other young woman in my congregation became pregnant, but were not married.  Their families were hurt and disappointed.  There were tears and long discussions late into the night.  But, the parents of these girls knew that their daughters were entrusted by God with the precious gift of new  life.  More important than convenience or neighborhood gossip was the protection of those lives.

Like Katie, both of these young, unmarried mothers confessed and were forgiven of their sins.  They heard the tender words of Jesus Christ: “Come to Me and I will wash you white as snow.”  They knew the unconditional love of parents who saw a future of hope for their grandchildren.

We live in a sin-filled world.  We doubt God’s Word.  We let our selfish desires and fears influence our thinking and behavior.  And, yes… there are consequences for every choice we make.

But Jesus, who gave everything He had for us, wants to bring us out of darkness into light and away from despair to hope.  This is what parents do when they unconditionally love their unmarried but pregnant daughter; when they unconditionally love their son who has fathered a child but is not married to that child’s mother.  This is what grandparents do when they welcome their grandchildren – no matter what the circumstances of their conception.

Some grandparents fear their grandchildren.  They see them as “inconvenient.”  They may say, “Our daughter has college and her future to think about.”  Or, “Our son is too young to be a father.”  Failing to trust God, they take their daughters to Planned Parenthood for a “quick and easy fix” or give their sons money to abort their grandchild.  We pray for these grandparents – that they will recognize their sin, confess their lack of faith, and ask for forgiveness from daughters or sons.

Many grandparents would have welcomed their “too soon” or “unplanned” grandchildren, but they were never given the opportunity.  They mourn in silence.  God understands the heaviness of these grandparents’ hearts.  He wants them to entrust the grandchildren they never knew to His care.  He wants them to forgive daughters and sons.  In Christ, there is forgiveness and healing for abortion just as there is for every other sin.

A grandparent is a grandparent even of a dead child.  For those grandparents who feared their grandchildren because they might be an “inconvenience,” there is hope in Jesus Christ.  A grandparent may forget that a “fetus” (Latin: “young one”) is created and redeemed by God, but God does not forget a grandparent.  A grandparent may mourn the grandchild they will never hold, but God comforts the brokenhearted.

God, in His mercy and grace, is faithful.

The steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and his righteousness to children’s children . . . (Psalm 103:7 ESV).

Grandparents who love life make a difference for generations to come.

We will tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord . . . and the wonders that He has done . . . We will teach our children so that the next generation might know . . . yes, even children yet unborn (Psalm 78:2-8 ESV).

Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord (Psalm 103:18 ESV).

God’s Word Speaks to You

Posted on by

This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, great is His faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:21-23).

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.  I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity;  I said, ‘I will confess my transgression to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin” (King David in Psalm 23:3-5).

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; thought they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound . . . to comfort all who mourn . . . to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes” (Isaiah 61:1-3).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).