The Shining Star of Hope

Yesterday, the faithful woman who founded Truth and Mercy Pro-life Ministries hosted a baby shower for one of the former abortion workers who had contacted me initially a couple of months ago. Sheryl has been running these baby showers for moms who choose life over abortion for 29 years now. Along with other Cities4Life counselors, we are usually on the other side of the sidewalk of the folks who work at the abortion center. It was an extreme pleasure to sit at lunch together on the same side, recognizing and celebrating the sacred humanity of the child in the womb.

The pregnant abortion worker had called me because she no longer wanted to work in that place of death. She had heard about me from her friend who had also left the abortion center and found help through our ministry. (We always then refer them to Abortionworker.com which directs them to a ministry solely dedicated to helping abortion workers leave the industry.) We knew the pregnant abortion worker I will call “K” had invited her friend “S” to the shower. We didn’t know a third former abortion worker, “C”, would be there as well. 

Picture who sat at the table with us...we who had so ardently for years proclaimed the truth of the unborn baby’s humanity and right to life: Three women who had opposed our work on the sidewalk pleading with women to choose life. Three women who were chastised by their boss if they didn’t meet a minimum quota of scheduling women to abort. Three women who were reprimanded and “retrained” if a certain number of the appointments changed their minds and were “no shows.” One of the women I thought I recognized as one who swerved her car to hit me a few months ago while I was trying to give an abortion-minded mother our literature.

These were the women with whom we now spent the day. We shared not only the incredible bounty of a roomful of baby supplies provided by loving Christians who support Truth and Mercy Ministries, but also engaged in a deep discussion about the Gospel during our lunch together . I had shared the Gospel with two of the women when they first called me and left the abortion center. They had a hunger and desire, but their knowledge and understanding of what it means to be “saved” clearly needs discipleship. The third woman whom I had never met before had NEVER heard a presentation of the Gospel before. She asked GREAT questions, and my prayer is that the wonderful, lucid explanation Sheryl shared, upon which  I tag-teamed, will bear fruit. Many seeds were planted yesterday.

One of the women told me she remembered me on the sidewalk. 

“You prayed with me once at the abortion center,” she told me.

“I did?”

“Yes. The security man was asking me what I was doing and I told him to leave us alone. We were praying.”

You just NEVER know what seeds are planted just by being there, by calling out to the workers and to the abortion-minded moms the truth and hope of Jesus. Yesterday, Sheryl and I had the incredible honor of seeing flowers of faith beginning to bud and those who had once been enemies of God now sitting around a table as friends.

Those women do not have an easy road. One in particular is struggling with the horrors of what she had done in the abortion work and with the financial hardship of no new job as of yet. I read a passage by Charles Spurgeon this morning that speaks beautifully of the necessity of trials in our lives. Choosing God does not eliminate struggles, and in fact, Spurgeon points out, those struggles are often the best source of drawing us into a deeper relationship with God.

“Hope itself is like a star--not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Afflictions are often the black foils in which God doth set the jewels of his children's graces, to make them shine the better. It was but a little while ago that on thy knees thou wast saying, "Lord, I fear I have no faith: let me know that I have faith." Was not this really, though perhaps unconsciously, praying for trials?--for how canst thou know that thou hast faith until thy faith is exercised? Depend upon it, God often sends us trials that our graces may be discovered, and that we may be certified of their existence. Besides, it is not merely discovery, real growth in grace is the result of sanctified trials. God often takes away our comforts and our privileges in order to make us better Christians. He trains his soldiers, not in tents of ease and luxury, but by turning them out and using them to forced marches and hard service.” 

I love that first line. Hope is a star we do not see in the days of ease, but best discovered in the darkness of despair. I have lived this and can attest to its truth.

Standing on the sidewalks of the abortion center asking women to reconsider a choice that so many are pushing them to make is not an easy job. There are times all of us wonder if the struggle and adversity we face is worth it.

How gracious of God to give us a glimpse of the fruit that faithfulness to His commands can bear. For privacy reasons, I will not show you the many photos I took of that joyous occasion, though they gave me permission. Instead, I have only posted a picture of Sheryl at the luncheon her ministry provided, the lovely woman I have had the pleasure of laboring alongside so many times, who has been so faithful for almost thirty years to show the love of Christ to women who had lost hope.

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James 5:16 

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Hebrews 11:6 

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.