And another thing...

The issue of abortion is so pulsating inside of me, I just need to process what is going on in my heart. Almost every day I have the same memory of when I was here 3 years ago and we did a silent-siege at the abortion clinic. This is where you line the property (not crossing the property lines) with red tape over your mouth that says "LIFE," representing the babies that have no voice to decide if they want to live. While we were there, someone pulled up to the clinic in a van, and out of their backseat, pulled out a huge gift bag, with a balloon attached. The balloon, now, this is at an abortion clinic, was bright yellow with a cartoon drawing of a baby's face, and the words, "Happy Birthday." After 3 years, I have not been able to shake that image.

Here are some thoughts I was journaling today:
~Herod ordered that the babies be killed (when he found out about the birth of Jesus, the Messiah), so as to destroy the Messiah. To protect his own kingdom. What's sad today is that we don't have to be forced to kill babies to protect an earthly kingdom. We, as a people, welcome, even embrace it. For we so much hold our kingdom in a high place. Nothing shall disrupt it's violent peace. Anger. People want silence for their guilt, and blood seems to be the only answer. We've come from a place where a ruler had to order the slaughter of that which could overthrow his flesh and own ways, to a place where people are fighting for the 'right' to murder babies.
Abortion really was once a devastation. The enemy has ordered, enforced, the death of the prophets and teachers, and dreamers, that will point to Jesus-the One to overthrow the kingdom of darkness, by manipulating the hearts of people to believe that life is a chance and that we have the right to pursue the 'opportunity' to be a parent, or not, without regard to life. The enemy has enforced this by telling us that our rights have been violated. The death penalty for the innocent is coming out of the heart that is trapped, is enslaved to something so dark, there seems to be no way out. We have become the enemy's voice in enforcing a law that babies be killed. Like anything, it was hard at first. He had to changed the laws. First he had to use people to enforce the death of babies, causing people to harden their hearts and over time, justify death. Now, we cry out for our right to death. By this, we prove that we have made change, that we have accomplished something, that we have conquered 'the system' and won the right to live only for ME.

Oh, the babies that will never get to laugh, or smile.

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And now I am going to give a shout out to Tyler. What up Tyler? Tyler is one of my best friends, and he was adopted. Tyler, within the redemptive work of the cross, is a walking fruit of efforts to preserve life. He is a very specific personality of Jesus that no one else has, and we as people with personalities and character's, come face to face with a character of God that no one else has. If his biological mother chose abortion, there would be a unique character of Jesus wiped out from our understanding of God. And, to date, Tyler has 699 friends on Facebook. Which is pretty amazing, I think. I cannot imagine 699 people not having had the chance to partake of Jesus' personality, blessing, and glory, because of abortion. Tyler, I bless you, I bless your biological mom, and your mom that imparted the spirit of adoption to you.

May we, who labor against abortion, labor for adoption. Be willing to adopt, if you are willing to stand up against abortion. Otherwise you are asking already hopeless mothers to find hope in something that may not be hope at all, if people are not willing to adopt. Because we cannot give women purpose for saving their babies' lives if no one will be there to embrace and welcome these children. It's sad that death seems the better option over handing babies over to the state. So, pray life, speak life, be life.