Friday, September 23, 2011

Recent thoughts on the battle for Life...

I know it has been quite awhile since I have updated and this is not going to be the most "joyful" of posts, but the last few hours have inspired me to share some of my thoughts.

A little introduction... I have been a fan of the show Grey's Anatomy for several years, mainly because I am an abnormally emotional girl and need my weekly dose of drama. :) I have ignored my conscience over several story-lines the past few seasons, mostly seeing them as harmless or just a part of a fictional world. The latest story-line that has developed has made me realize that enough is enough. One of the main characters decided that she would rather be a surgeon than a mother and chose to abort her unborn child. At first, I thought the writers might be able to shape this story into a positive thing for the Life community, particularly because the character's husband was so adamantly opposed to her decision. I thought that even if she went through with the abortion, the writers would have no choice but to show how devastating the consequences would be for her, her husband, and their relationship. On last night's episode, however, the husband eventually decided to support her decision after accepting some extremely faulty logic from his wife's best friend, who said that growing up with mother who resented her nearly killed her and no child should have to go through that. HELLO?!?! Growing up with a resentful mother may have nearly killed her, but abortion would have DEFINITELY killed her! I get the feeling that the story is not completely over (it never is on Grey's Anatomy) but this was definitely a step in the WRONG direction and I do not want to be a part of it anymore.

As saddened as I was by this story on one of my favorite shows, I was even more distraught over the reviews and recaps of the episode and even more so by the comments posted at the end. While there were a few dissenters, the majority of the comments praised her decision, the quality of the writing, and the phenomenal acting of the actress. Even those who did not agree with the decision did not do so because they saw abortion as wrong, but only because in this specific instance they considered the decision to be selfish. Many of the arguments pointed to the baby being only a "potential human" or, worse, "a lump of cells." They referred to women who have children as "mindless incubators" who fell to the pressures of human society and family obligations. How disgusting! I was in tears as a read these words!

This whole experience reminded me of what an uphill battle we are fighting because we are not just fighting against abortion or the morality of our society, we are struggling against a foe who has nothing to lose. However, when I was distraught about everything I was reading and once again feeling a deep fatigue over the work we are trying to do, God did two things. First, He reminded me that He is in control and that He has already won the ultimate victory, through Jesus Christ. I was getting so upset that I decided to open my Bible and this was the first thing I saw:
"When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:
'Death has been swallowed up in victory.
''Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?'
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  -1 Corinthians 15:54-57
The second thing he did was use a friend to remind me that there are so many people out there who do care and are willing to stand for Life no matter what. Right after I saw this verse from Corinthians, I got a text message from a friend showing her prayerful and purposeful response to a campaign/fundraising letter from Planned Parenthood:

What a great response!!!

What an awesome God we have!!! He knew exactly what I needed when I needed it and turned my really crappy morning into an awesome testament and reiteration of his love for me! I feel refreshed and ready to start another 40 Days for Life campaign next week and continue working at the Bush School so I can be qualified to continue this great work the best that I can! Praise God and YAY JESUS!!!!! :)