I have recently been confronted with how sinful my bleak outlook and dull frame of mind truly are. Indeed, I think it a sobering deed to even construct, and re-read, those lasts sentences. I find my eyes to be so blind to the reality of my own sin and the corruption of my own selfish heart. I am guilty. To be completely forthright, I find that I love and seek the vanity that accompanies human recognition and praise. As the absence of new posts can attest, I must, I do, love the praise of men more then the happy task of completing the work that God has required of me. He has laid upon my heart a great burden for the lives of the unborn in such a way that, when I am most focused on my task, I cannot go a two days without dwelling on (sometimes to the point of despair) the evils of abortion. I have often been told, by a Pastor and friend, that, "The heart of the matter is, indeed, the matter of the heart," and the exhibition of fruit that issues forth from my own heart in respects to this matter has been rotten as of late. For those whose eyes do stumble upon this post, I ask that you bare with me. My faults are great, but my task is unmistakably clear. I must do, I must write, I must remind myself, and others, that abortion and death do not sleep. For those who find themselves in a similar situation to that which I described above, I hope and pray that you do not despair as I have ... and do. Regardless of whether no one, one person, or a hundred people read this post, it should not concern me. The most important thing is to obey God ... and write. Satan has not relinquished his hold on the most vulnerable among us, and he continues to smite and destroy our young through the gloved and sterile hands of men and women employed to do his bidding. The reality of this should be reason enough for me to write all the more adamantly, all the while knowing that I write with the strength that God provides for the task He has commissioned. }
I want to being this post by reminding the reader of a very specific, increasingly large, number. That number is 40 million, and it is the number of those children killed by abortion, worldwide, on a yearly basis. Now, I know that it is easy to grow cold towards the reality that lies behind the statistical data of, "40 million." When one surveys the statistics they seem hopelessly unbelievable. I had to check, and recheck that specific statistic before using it above, as I was so sure that the number had been over estimated and blown out of proportion. But it cannot be denied.
When you dwell upon the magnitude of "40 million," do not merely view the number - survey the reality. Do you see these children in your mind's eye? Imagine 40 million little bodies: they are torn limb from limb, miniature feet, hands complete with fingernails, a heart that used to beat, laying in a basin full of blood - do you see them? They have no voice, they cannot retaliate, they can do nothing but silently succumb to the fate that awaits them at the hands of the abortionist. Can you see them?
I know that the above approach does well to tug at the emotional strings of the reader. If you live without the benefit of "emotional strings," then you don't fully grasp the reality of the situation at hand. It has been scientifically proven that life begins at conception. The offspring of humans are undeniably, precisely, and obviously made from the genetic material that forms the framework of all humanity - they are by definition human beings. Regardless of their size, their location, their level of development, and level of dependency, the fact that humans beget humans does not change. A tiny human being is still a human being. "It" is not a lump of cells, or an unfeeling mass of tissue. The child that is growing and developing inside of the womb is being intimately and wonderfully constructed by the hand of God himself. As John Piper so eloquently says, "You don't mess with that."
This Sunday is "Sanctity of Life" Sunday. It has been a day specially set aside to view the reality of abortion anew with a clear vision. Let us be reminded, this Sunday and every day, that abortion destroys a child created in the image of God. It destroys a person ... a life ... and stops a beating heart. Take the time to educate yourself about the practice of abortion, know and understand the statistics involved, lovingly offer the hope of the gospel to those women and men who are living with the guilt of participating in the sin of abortion, and pray that God would grant the mercy of a fresh and untarnished vision to those around us who do not believe in the humanity of the unborn. And when discouragement comes, as it well may, do not despair. Instead, place all your imperfect efforts and troublesome sorrows into the hands of the Almighty, Sovereign, God - who has promised to work all things, even discouragement, together for our good.
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