It’s January once again.
I don’t think January has ever been my favorite month. Okay – maybe it was when I was a kid. After all, my birthday is at the end of the month. It was always fun to look forward to being the center of attention, the receiver of gifts.
As an adult, however, it’s not my favorite. The Christmas tree has come down, company has all gone home and there doesn’t seem to be a lot to look forward to. Even the snow has lost its luster. That fluffy, white, clean snow that created the perfect Christmas backdrop is now dirty, gray and just plain cold. It’s not pretty anymore.And during the 31 days in January, I have to remember that this is the month all those years ago when I ended the life of my unborn baby. And, just like that, January becomes darker, colder and emptied of joy.
January is the month that our country also stops to remember. This coming Friday, January 24, thousands will take to the streets in Washington, DC to march peacefully – to stand in defense of human life and against the practice of abortion. In communities from east to west, churches, pro-life organizations and pregnancy help clinics stop to reflect on the unimaginable loss of innocent, unborn human life that has occurred since the legalization of abortion in 1973. More than 60 million. 60 million. I don’t know how you even wrap your mind around that.
I’m not the only one who isn’t a huge fan of January. Each year, there are women sitting in churches who steel themselves for Sanctity of Human Life messages at church. Or they avoid being in church at all. These are the women who did what I did: they had abortions. Many of them are stuck. They struggle with the memory, the unresolved grief, the guilt – but they don’t know what to do with it. They don’t know where to turn or who they can talk to. They hear the messages preached or the words spoken by those around them and often determine to keep their secret more deeply hidden than ever – for fear of what others would think if their abortions became known.
This January I am issuing a challenge for individuals in the church – Christians - to pray for those impacted by abortion. Maybe your sister or your aunt had an abortion and has never gotten over it. Maybe your neighbor works in the abortion industry and you have never known how she really feels about it. Or, maybe you think you don’t know anyone who has had an abortion. I would say it’s likely you do – you just don’t know who it is because it’s a secret. Let me tell you: it could be the woman you would never suspect. She could be in your small group, sit next to you in church every Sunday or she may sing in the church choir. Ask God to give you words of grace, love and hope to share with everyone about abortion, because you just never know...
Talk again soon -
Kay
