Why Do We Ignore What We Know is Right?

“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

‭‭James‬ ‭4:17‬ ‭

Yesterday a car immediately stopped in front of the abortion center. The driver had an appointment to abort in a few days. She said she really didn’t know why she was driving by. She had multiple abortions in her past, one quite recently. She was astounded herself that she was back. She felt compelled to drive by. She agreed to pull over and talk as long as I understood it was just to talk. She would make her own decision and she did not want to be pressured. She just wanted to talk.

As her story unfolded, I felt great sorrow for her. She asked repeatedly why all this terrible stuff was happening to her. Why had she felt compelled to drive by today? Why had she felt so bad after the last abortion, purposely gotten pregnant, and now wanted to abort this one? Why was God doing this?

I asked her if she wanted me to answer, because I felt I had an answer. I told her I was unabashedly pro-life, and loved Jesus and that would frame my answer. She said she wanted to weigh her options. As long as I understood it was her decision, she wanted to hear what I had to say.

If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know what I had to say. First, it was no accident she had been compelled to drive by and meet me. The amazing irony is she knew me! Before the last abortion she had gotten my name from the Cities4Life  pamphlets we hand out at the abortion center and had called me! She had chosen to abort despite all I had to offer back then, but of course, never told me. I told her God was giving her a clear message, a clear direction. She agreed she knew God was speaking, she knew abortion was wrong, she knew her choices had led her to dreadful places. She agreed that the only times in life when she had felt good about her choices were when they aligned with God.

One would think no more would need to be said. When HELP Pregnancy Center RV and mobile ultrasound technician arrived, we showed her her baby on the ultrasound though she was too early to see much clearly. We told her about the vast array of resources in our network of supporters and partner ministries. I specifically addressed her two major obstacles and before she left sent her an email with the resources to help her.

Still, she said she felt conflict in her heart over what would be best. She was leaning towards a choice for life. Nonetheless, I am not certain at all of what she will do. However, I can think of nothing else we could have offered. Now all we can do is pray.

But as I pondered the interaction, I thought of my own life and how often I had disregarded God and my conscience to do what I wanted to do. Like that woman, I ignored what I knew was the right thing to do and pursued the path I wanted. That attitude ALWAYS led ultimately to despair.

The scourge of abortion is not because people have lost a sense of right and wrong. It is because they don’t care if it is wrong. If it conflicts with self-interest, righteousness is expendable.

This Thanksgiving, my prayer is that all of us would truly understand the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf...that the magnitude of His suffering reflects the absolute abhorrence God feels for our sin, for our rebellion against Him...the depth of His love that yearns for us to return to Him that He would provide such a personally painful way back to Him....

...And that we would be filled with gratitude to Him, the savior of our souls and the only light that will dispel our darkness.

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* the woman described in the story is NOT the driver of the car pictured above. That photo was from another day in front of the abortion center.

                   

                                 

Cities4Life