Oh happy day! It was 70 degrees in Charlotte so I unloaded my ski equipment and loaded my kayak in the van. Then I shot out to the Catawba river. The marina manager, who knows me after 4 years of kayaking from his property greeted me happily.
"So what's new?" he asked.
" A new kayak season!" I replied joyfully, "Do you think spring is here?"
"No," he said, "29 degrees is the low tomorrow."
Good thing I had made the decision to dash out and kayak that day; the next day would be too late and regret for what I had lost would surely set in!
The water was indeed frigid. I only got my toes wet launching, but I sure would not have wanted to fall in the water. Incredibly, I was not the only one out there on the river. However, I saw very little wildlife -- no turtles or snakes. They must still be hibernating. I did see a few great blue herons fly overhead. It was beautiful and peaceful as always, and I was grateful for the time of solitude with God's magnificent creation. Today is my day as a sidewalk counselor at the abortion mill. It is never easy, and I was glad for the reminder yesterday that God made the world and has me and all those mothers in turmoil in His sights. I am praying for divine encounters.
In fact, I came home from kayaking, and decided I needed another fetal model for my volunteer work. Two days ago, I made a clay 9 week old fetus. It is astonishing how tiny, but completely developed such a young human already is at 9 weeks! So now I have a 9 week, 12 week, and 14 week model that I have made to show the women I plead with at the abortion mill to keep their babies. I wanted a 19 week model, since that is the maximum age at which women can still get abortions here in NC. (19 weeks and 5 days, to be exact.)
I made my model, out of sculpey clay. It took quite some time. I was really struggling to get the features just right. A 19 week old baby in the womb is 7 inches long from crown to rump. Can you imagine killing a perfect human who is that large? I cannot get over how wrong, wrong, wrong it is! I put my model in the oven to bake. When I took her out, her little head had fallen off. I wanted to cry, looking at her dismembered body, knowing that in real abortions, that is exactly what happens. Torn limb by limb and sucked from the womb...yet there are many who feel the mothers about to do that to their own child should not be told or shown that reality. I briefly considered leaving the head detached...but then decided I wanted my fifteen seconds I might get with the women as they drove into the abortion mill to be filled with hopeful symbols of what could be should compassion and righteousness alter their choices.
I glued the head back on. Then I filled the cracks with a special self hardening clay, and when it all dried, painted it to match the rest of the skin tone. She looked good as new! If only it were that easy to repair an aborted baby. Of course, it is not.
What an irony, I thought. How God must grieve! Here He gives us this incredible beautiful world to soothe our souls, and then the gift of life...and we squander and trample on His miracles. We should be cherishing His creation -- the beautiful river and herons, and the tiny babies. Oh pray for the mothers we encounter today at the abortion mill, that His love and hope may enter their hearts and change their intentions. May they make the choice for life today. For so many, tomorrow will be too late when regret for what is lost sets in.
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Psalm 116: 12-14
12 What shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord,
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
Praying!
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