As many of you know my mom shared her testimony yesterday on Sanctity of Life Sunday regarding the two abortions that she had. After spending over and hour on the phone with her this morning, she asked me to share a side of the story that had not been told.
Growing up in a Christian household and attending church my entire life, I had always been taught and told that abortion was murder and that it was Biblically and morally wrong. This teaching was reinforced in my college years as I entered into this debate with classmates on many occasions in the course of my studies. I had gotten to the point in my life that I had the stand and the judgment that under no circumstances was anyone to ever have an abortion, and I could not understand at all why someone would want to kill their own child. Now please understand that the entire time that I would rant and rave about this, even when talking to my parents, did I know that I was talking to two people who had experienced this traumatic event.
You see, when my two older brothers were in their early teenage years, my mom told them what had transpired in her life, as she had started to share her testimony, and she did not want them to be shocked and scared. I was too young at that time to understand what was being said.
So as I grew up and became more and more stiff-necked towards those people who had had an abortion, you can imagine the fear and trepidation that grew in my mother’s heart, as she wanted to share with me what had happened in her life. Here was her own son standing in condemnation over her, even though I had no knowledge that she herself had gone through that experience, not once, but twice. My mother still had not told me what had happened, fearing that it would damage, if not destroy our relationship.
I was finally told at the age of 32 years of age what had happened in the life of my family. That was only just one year ago. I was told that I have two siblings waiting for me in Heaven.
After she shared with me what had happened and asked my forgiveness, I remember the silence that was on the phone as she waited to hear my response, or just to hear the slamming of the phone. I remember the tears that filled my eyes and the love that welled up in my heart, as I told her “I forgive you”.
Now let me share how I had come that point. I had learned through many life struggles that if I claim Christ as my Lord and Savior and claim His grace in my life, I am commanded to show that grace with others. I cannot claim His forgiveness and then deny it to others that ask it of me. I was able to look upon my mom, not as one who had committed some grievous sin, but as one that I loved so much that it didn’t matter what had happened, I HAD to forgive her just as Christ had forgiven me.
Ephesians 4:30-32 (NIV) states “30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
I don’t know if some of you who read this might need to show some of that grace to others in your life. You may have someone that has wronged you, or you may be a parent whose daughter has experienced a similar situation that my mom faced. I pray that you will heed the scripture of our Lord and Savior. Allow God to march past your preconceived ideas, your judgmental feelings, your stiff- neckedness , and give you the strength to show His grace to those that need it from you.
“Lord, I pray for the one that is reading this and knows in their heart that there is someone in their life that needs the forgiveness that you have given to us, so that we may share it with others. I pray your strength into their life so that may see them through the eyes of your grace. We ask this in your name as we join in one heart, Amen”
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