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The Christian Woman and Abortion
It happened long ago…five, ten, twenty or more years ago, but the memory is still painful on those occasions she allows herself to remember. Since then, she has recommitted her life to Christ or perhaps accepted Him as Savior and Lord for the first time. She is active in her church, teaches Sunday school, and sings in the choir. Most people see her as a godly woman who has it all together. What they don’t know is the secret she guards…that desperate thing she did that makes her feel guilty, ashamed and sad; she had an abortion.
The post-abortive Christian woman probably suffers more over her past sin than all others who occupy the pews on Sunday mornings. With her mind, she understands that there are no degrees of sin before God, but she argues within herself saying, “But it was murder, I killed my child, God’s creation.” She accepts God’s forgiveness as a fact, but can’t apply it to her situation in a way that allows her to forgive herself.
She has questions about the baby’s eternal condition: Is he in heaven? Does he know what his mother did? Does he forgive her? Will they be reunited in heaven? She doesn’t approach her pastor with these theological issues, first because he’s a man and then because she fears condemnation from God’s representative. She doesn’t talk to her friends in church because usually talk regarding abortion includes statements such as, “How could anyone ever do that?” Her understanding of God may be confused because of the guilt she carries. Because of all this, she feels isolated from intimate fellowship with God and other believers.
It is estimated that one in three women of childbearing age has had an abortion and 40% of all those have had multiple abortions. A post-abortive woman with spiritual sensitivity will eventually silently seek a church to help deal with the overwhelming theological conflict and its emotional consequences that plague her. Therefore, we can safely conclude that our churches are filled with women who suffer with Post-Abortion Syndrome. We just don’t know who they are and therefore, cannot approach them to offer compassionate healing. |
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