Dwelling in Safety

It was a mob scene at the abortion center Monday. At one point, we had four women on the pro-life RV, waiting for ultrasounds. My fellow counselor and I both had two of the toughest counseling sessions we have yet endured. Both Anna and I counseled our respective hard cases for two hours each.

The woman I counseled extensively was a college student, and said she wasn't ready for a baby yet. I asked her if that changed the intrinsic value of the baby, or the humanity of the baby. She agreed it did not.
"I don't need a baby now," she said.
"But the baby needs you," I told her.

I asked her what her plans were regarding college/career.
"I want to be a pediatrician."
I raised my eyebrow. "The irony of that doesn't escape you, does it?"
She shook her head.

The friend with her began laughing, and then the mama laughed. She laughed quite a bit at first, but became more somber as I presented the gospel. The father looked at me with unblinking wide eyes, and I think had he been alone, he would have fallen on his knees crying out to Jesus. At first, when I asked if they wanted to accept Jesus as Lord then and there, the young man began to nod. The friend laughed and shook her head, and the young man looked down, and shook his head as well. All three said they would think about it, but were not ready yet.

When the mama saw her baby on the ultrasound, the little guy was waving and kicking, and drawing his clearly delineated fingers to his mouth. At the end of the second trimester, this baby was a little acrobat. The nurse, Sherry, even managed to get an amazing shot of his brain, the two hemispheres clear from the top down angle. I had never seen that before, and was gaping in awe.

A miracle of creation.

"What a wonderful life he has," I said, "So safe and secure dwelling in the womb."
Sherry and I looked at the mother, knowing the womb was not a safe and secure place for this baby.

In the end after two hours of counseling, the mama chose life. As she drove away from the abortion center, both the nurse and I felt utterly spent. Neither of us are confident she will not return. The laughing friend who found all of this to be a source of humor and derision was not helpful.

However, there is nothing more we knew to say or do. The baby is safe for now. May God convict the mama's conflicted heart. Fortunately, the mom Anna counseled seemed more secure in her decision and was driven away from the abortion center by grandparents who are ardently pro-life and would support her throughout the pregnancy. We were overjoyed to hear that another counselor on the sidewalk, Sarah, had also counseled a reluctant mama carside, and that woman had also driven away. Three babies safe...for now. (The other woman we counseled was not pregnant.)

Meanwhile, another mother brought her pregnant daughter on the RV. She told us ten years ago, she was in the back room of the abortion center, about to abort her son. She heard one of our fiery preachers, Flip, all the way in the far back procedure room. His convicting words boomed over the microphone, reaching to the deepest, darkest corners of the abortion center. "God doesn't make mistakes." She got off the operating table, left, and a few months later, gave birth to her son. We told her Flip was the preacher who led Jane Roe of Roe V Wade to the Lord. The woman gave us her name and number. She wanted Flip to know he had saved her son, and she was thankful.

"He died three years ago," she told us, "But he was a blessing...from beginning to end." She brought her daughter to us, remembering we had been there for her so long ago, and grateful we could be there to encourage and help her daughter now.

We must speak. We should not be silent. We never know when the seeds we plant of God's words and commands will comfort, challenge, and convict. So many of us shy from speaking truth for fear we will offend. We probably will offend, but we also might make a difference.

I was awake much of the night last night, picturing and praying for the little baby who we saw so clearly on the ultrasound yesterday.  Be safe, little one.

In peace, I will both lie down and sleep. For you alone, o Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8
*****************
To donate or join us on the sidewalks speaking life to those who desperately need to hear it, please go to charlotte.cities4life.org
*****************