Over the past several weeks we have seen the release of
several videos detailing the behind-the-scenes work of Planned Parenthood.
There has been an increasing outrage about this and rightly so. For too long we
have simply swept to these issues under the rug. I believe that even pro-lifers
such as myself can sometimes be guilty of not realizing the true atrocity of
the practice of abortion.
I haven’t watched all of the videos but what I have seen has
turned my stomach and made me want to vomit. I shared one of them on my Facebook
feed because even though it made me feel physically ill I felt it was something
that everyone should watch. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think you should expose
your young children to this but I firmly believe that we often spend too much
time in a sanitized bubble and fail to grasp the reality of what is going on
in our culture.
Just before Jesus died on the cross, rose again, and went
back to heaven to be with his Father he prayed for his disciples. In that
prayer he did not pray that The Father would take them out of the world but
rather that they would be kept from the evil one. (John 17:15) We as Christians
have been left in the world for a reason.
Many people speak of the need to preach the gospel and I
wholeheartedly agree with this. However I also firmly believe that our
dedication to the gospel should lead us into action. It’s not enough to simply
speak the truth, we must live it out. The Bible tells us to “plead the cause of
the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:9) and so I believe we must be engaged in the culture before
us and stand up for biblical principles. When people ask us why we believe as
we do it is the perfect opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
At that point it is more than just convenient words to say
but rather the evidence of a life lived out of conviction for our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There was a contemporary Christian song that was
popular when I was growing up which said in effect “I’d rather see a sermon
then to hear one any day.” The world desperately needs to see these living
sermons!
This brings up another important point. As much as these
videos grieve us as we see the world’s blatant disregard for human life (and
they should), I also believe they should serve as a catalyst that will drive us
as the church into a time of examination on our own attitude toward children.
If we want the world to see value in these little ones, we must show this by
example.
Sadly, it has become all too easy for the church to adapt to
the world’s line of thinking about children. It saddens me when I hear people
say that they are waiting for a “more convenient time” to have children or when
my brother and sister in law are looked down upon because they have four
children.
What have we as a society become when even within the church
it seems appropriate to stop God’s blessing of children? I can’t tell you what
to do about this issue. It is between you and the Lord. However I would
challenge you to examine your motives. You may find that they are not all that
different from the men and women who seek abortion every day.
In closing, we must seek the mind of Christ in all things.
Jesus never said that this life would be easy or that following him would be
comfortable. In fact, no one knows this more clearly than Jesus himself. He was
hung on a cross because he refused to compromise on the truth. If we are his
followers, how can we expect not to suffer? How about you? Are you willing to
take a stand?
Speaking4Him,
Andrew Gommesen
