Never Substitute Death for the Fullness of Life, No Matter the Consequences

This cutie is now two months old, the son of one of my favorite mamas I work with who chose life over abortion. She is so madly in love with her son, saying he gives her more than she gives him! I love to see the maternal instinct kick into high gear, following God's clear design to protect and nurture the most vulnerable among us.

I often stand on the sidewalks of the abortion center, watching the throngs of mamas careen into the parking lot, intent on killing their babies and wonder what went so wrong as to silence one of the strongest instincts of humankind? In fact, to protect one's progeny is one of the strongest instincts of nearly all living creatures.

Even more puzzling to me is how those who stand up for the rights of the baby are maligned, called judgmental, narrow-minded, and ignorant. How did such a common sense basic impulse as to protect a baby become so twisted?

The battle is a spiritual one. It is the war between good and evil, plain and simple. I do not minimize the wretched situation these abortive women face. However, the solution is not to dehumanize the child or justify his brutal, violent demise. When the solution emaciates the soul and defies our Creator's purpose, it is not a solution.

This week, I've witnessed a terrible setback for one of the moms Cities4Life helped. It has left a jarring, gaping sorrow in its wake.  It has thrown me into a tailspin of questioning. Abortion is NOT the answer, but the solution is not an easy path.

When I broke my rib after crashing on my bicycle, the results could have been dire. I could have destroyed the newly reconstructed breast. I could have necessitated the early end of radiation, thus negating the cancer fighting benefits gleaned thus far. I could have died...

So the well-meaning advice of many was "stop riding your bike."

To not live fully for fear of the terrible consequences living can bring is not what I believe God has called any of us to do. We should be cautious, we should be discerning, but we should never substitute death for life, no matter how painful life may be.

In the case of my bike analogy, 'death' is a metaphor for the cessation of one of my three favorite activities that bring joy to my days. In the context of the struggling mama, 'death' is literally the death of a child through abortion. Neither choice leads to overwhelming blessings of God or the abundant life Jesus promises those who vigorously pursue Him.

My rib is healing, and I am more careful on my bike. I am praying for healing miracles in the troubled mom's life as well. God's whispers to me in the aftermath of this week's sorrows have been to remind me that we should never substitute death for the fullness of life, no matter the consequences.
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Ecclesiastes 9:5

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.

John 10:10 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.