On one particular morning not long ago, I saw beauty in the midst of darkness. I was reminded of the blessing of children that are raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord – and of the wonderful simplicity of their faith. I also got to see what can happen when just a few people take a faithful stand and how God can multiply the impact of their efforts several fold. In sum, I witnessed the church of Jesus Christ acting as it should in the face of incredible injustice – and the Lord choosing to go before them in battle and bless their faithfulness.
One of the incredibly shameful things that I’ve heard from those who visit the clinics faithfully is that the churches simply are not involved. Not long ago, when my pastor attended, he was heartily thanked by others who were present, saying “Thank you for coming! We never have pastors come out here!” What an incredible embarrassment to the church of Christ, who is to be both the pillar and ground of the truth (even when it’s unpopular) and a defender of the innocent!
At least one small church has chosen not to ignore this very important responsibility. Someone in the church had come up with the idea to put together a children’s singing group that would go down to the abortion clinic and sing to those present there. They all arrived, along with their parents, some of whom had not yet had a chance themselves to visit the clinic. They assembled and sang several songs. They sang over and over again and always kept wanting to sing more. The beauty and enthusiasm of their young voices carried all the way to the back of the clinic, where a number of people heard them from the parking lot. Undoubtedly, those already inside the clinic could hear them as well.
At least one of the children was heard remarking over and over again in disbelief at what the women were doing to their babies. “Why would anyone want to do that?” was the refrain from those little lips. We as adults like to over-complicate everything. To me, the simple childlike faith of these youngsters and their joy and passion in proclaiming the truth displayed about as sharp a contrast as you can get with the wickedness of what was going on inside.
Somewhere during this whole process, something very special happened. There is a very sweet young black boy visiting the abortion clinic whose parents attend this same church. When he was just a baby, he was adopted from a mother who was dissuaded from having an abortion. While he was there, his dad started talking to a young woman who was also considering abortion. He told her the story of his adopted son, introduced her to him, and even had him sing a song for her. This boy, who would not necessarily have been present any other morning, was ultimately used of God as part of the witness that caused her to turn away. As she left, she told those that she had been talking to that she plans to keep the baby and raise it herself.
In the midst of all this, I was reminded among other things of the beauty of adoption. We are all sinners; and but for the grace of God, all of us would be just as lost as many of those that we saw entering the abortion clinic. Yet God rescued us from the terror of what we would have been. He adopted us, just like this little boy was adopted by loving parents who have raised him to be such an incredible witness to others. During the conversation that was had with the the woman who was turned away, several of the pro-lifers who were standing nearby expressed that they would be willing to adopt this woman’s child. Others would have been willing to sacrifice much for the well-being of the woman herself. Because of God’s love and forgiveness toward us, we can show love and forgiveness toward others when they repent.
This woman’s situation was one of three turnaways that occurred that day – a number that is almost unheard of in this particular ministry. Why are these occurrences so rare, and why is here not a greater outcry against this incredibly heinous act that occurs every single day? Because the church refuses to act – or in many cases, to acknowledge that it is even happening. All too many of us go about our daily lives, doing what’s comfortable for us, at the very most hoping that someone else will solve the problem for us. We simply don’t think that we have the time.
I understand how it is. I’ve been there myself. My life has been forever changed, however, by the witness of others who cannot keep silent. If I child can do it, so can I. God help me if I refuse the call to proclaim His truth to the best of my ability.
This powerful testimony by a rather large contingent from a single church was a wonderful example of what the church should be doing every day at every abortion clinic in America. It’s not up to us to stop abortion, but it is up to us to be faithful to our responsibilities. God will fight the battle for us. Just as God fought the battle of Jericho, He is more than capable of bringing about the close of an abortion clinic. Who knows how He might bless the efforts of a church like this one?