I believe in the sanctity of life – all life – male, female,
black, white, rich, poor, young, old, born, unborn. I believe that life is sacred. It is to be valued and protected. I believe that life comes from our creator
God and that all of us are created in His image. Therefore, all of us are valuable. I believe that life begins at the point of
conception when God breathes his spirit into the very fiber of the cells in a
mother’s womb.
It grieves me to live in a world where life is not valued –
where gun violence is rampant, abuse is a regular occurrence, the death penalty
is enforced, and where it is legal to destroy the life of an unborn baby right
up until the minute before it is ready to enter the world.
I cannot understand how we can simultaneously fight with
everything we have to save the life of a baby that is born prematurely at 23
weeks while across town we give permission to destroy the life of another baby that
is still in the womb at 23 weeks. How is
one of these considered to be a baby - a life to be valued and saved - while
the other one is “just a fetus” that can be thrown away because it isn’t really
a baby yet? I just don’t understand the
logic…
But, that isn’t really the point that I want to make. Instead, I want to share a story – one that is
meant to encourage and bring hope to those who have lost a child – whether to
miscarriage or stillbirth or even to abortion.
Those lives – however brief – matter.
They matter to us and they matter to God. I’m sure of it.
How can I be so sure?
First, scripture tells us it’s true.
Psalm 139:13-6 says:
“You (God) made all the
delicate, inner parts of my body and knit
me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you
for making me so wonderfully complex! Your
workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You
watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was
woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw
me before I was born. Every day
of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out
before a
single day had passed.”
But, I also have a more personal story that I want to share. You see, we lost our second baby to a
miscarriage. It happened quickly – at
just about 5 weeks – just days after we found out we were expecting. We were sad, but we didn’t really dwell on
it. And, for the most part, I buried the
whole experience in the recesses of my mind – which is how I tend to deal with
grief.
Now, fast forward about 16 years – to an evening just a few months
ago. I had one of the most vivid dreams
that I have ever had. I usually don’t
remember my dreams, but this one is etched into my memory. I still replay it in my mind, and every image
is crystal clear. I believe that God
still speaks to us in dreams, and I am sure that this dream was given to me by
God.
In the dream, my husband and I were in an old country store in the
mountains. We were there with a little
blond-haired boy who appeared to be about 7 or 8 years old. He was wide-eyed with wonder and had a huge
smile on his face. We walked through the
store with him looking at toys and outdoor gear. We checked out the UNC sweatshirts and filled
up bags with candy from the bins in the store.
As I watched us in the store with this little boy, he seemed familiar,
but I couldn’t place his identity. I
kept thinking, “Who is this sweet child?
Do I know him?”
I woke up abruptly and started to pray, asking God what the dream
meant. It was then that I clearly heard
God say, “That’s your child – the one that you miscarried. You have a son. He’s here with me in heaven. He’s just fine. I’m taking care of him for you until you get
here.”
I don’t know why God gave me that glimpse of our child. I’m just thankful that he did. I’m sad that we didn’t get to raise our son
here on this earth, but I look forward to the day when we’ll be with him again –
for all of eternity.
If you have lost a baby for any reason, I want you to know that God
sees you and He feels your pain. He is holding your baby close in His arms
until the day when you can be together again.
He loves you and He wants you to know that your baby’s life matters. Even if you were the one who chose to abort
your baby, He still sees you and He loves you and He feels your pain. He wants to draw you close and heal your heart. He wants you to know that His grace is
sufficient for you – and for your child.
He wants you to know that your life matters too.
“Then I
saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had
passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from
God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell
with them. They will be his people, and
god himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from
their eyes. There will be no more death
or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these
words are faithful and true.’ “ – Revelation 21:1-5