Gathered Thoughts

Lent begins tomorrow. That time of the year usually makes me ponder things a bit more. While I rarely use this forum to comment on political or current issues; lately I have been thinking about the firestorm of opinions surrounding the rash of shootings in our country. Many children have lost their lives; and, every one of those deaths is senseless and tragic. However, I think some have missed a much larger senseless and tragic daily occurrence. Nationally, there are about 1.3 million abortions each year, which works out to 3,562 abortions each day, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. Some would cite the fact that the number of abortions is down from 1990, although I contend one life lost is too many! So, I have gathered a few thoughts and felt compelled to write them in this forum. First, let’s look at the issue of when “life” begins. I suppose I am a little sensitive to this issue. I know I am not “objective” in my beliefs. However, the Scripture is supportive of my beliefs. The Psalmist declares: For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:13-17 ESV). Second, in the case of the necessity of abortion, consider the following four situations?  There’s a preacher and wife who are very, very, poor. They already have 14 kids. Now she finds out she’s pregnant with number 15. They’re living in tremendous poverty. Considering their poverty and the excessive world population, would you consider recommending she get an abortion?  The father is sick with flu, the mother has TB. They have four children. The first is blind, the second is dead, the third is deaf, and the fourth has TB. She finds she’s pregnant again. Given the extreme situation, would you consider recommending abortion?  A white man raped a 13-year-old black girl, and she got pregnant. If you were her parents, would you considering recommending abortion?  A teenage girl is pregnant. She’s not married. Her fiancé is not the father of the baby, and he’s very upset. Would you consider recommending abortion? In the first case, you have just killed John Wesley, one of the great evangelists in the 19th century. In the second case, you have killed Beethoven. In the third case, you have killed Ethel Waters, the great black gospel singer. If you said yes to the fourth case, you have just declared the murder of Jesus Christ! I know that there are other cases that require very difficult decisions. And, I am grateful that I have never been called on to make those decisions. However, when the choice may be made to give life, I cannot imagine taking it. Abortion does just that. Of course we must do more to protect our children in our schools and playgrounds. Shouldn’t that protection extend to our unborn children as well?