Gianna Jessen, saline abortion survivor, tells her story of God's mercy and love, and why this horror called "abortion" needs to stop.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Stages of Grief
Grieving
Source: Forgiven and Set Free by Linda Cochrane
Is grieving a normal and healthy response after an abortion? Absolutely. The child that was lost became a major loss through death. Grief is painful, but it is necessary in relieving our sorrow. After an abortion, women may attempt to bury their grief, turn off their emotions, and run from God. Eventually, they face the fact that abortion ended their unborn child's life.
The grieving that follows an abortion is similar to the grief of a woman who has a miscarriage. Both experience stages of denial, anger, depression, and acceptance. Both experience guilt, but the source of their guilt is not the same. Women who had a miscarriage feel guilty because they don't know what role they played in their child's death. Women who choose abortion feel guilty because they do know what role they played in their child's death.
For men, they are usually the silent, wounded warrior...suffering because they are not given a choice. Because they had no choice, they question their right to have feelings following an abortion. Make no mistake, abortion leaves both men and women wounded. They both struggle with fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, grief, and depression. For men, there is in most cases, an unexplainable need to defend their masculinity; that need causes much confusion and strife in most of their relationships and they don't even realize the effects of abortion was the root cause of their problems.
Relief
1st Stage of Grief
What usually goes through a woman's mind after having an abortion? "Thank God, I am not pregnant anymore." Men usually think, "Thank God, the pregnancy is over." Everything that has happened since she found out that she was pregnant and all the decisions since then, have now come to a close...it's finally over. Now, you are left feeling relieved. But, it doesn't take long before the woman starts to rehearse over and over in her mind, what had happened to her and the child. What do I do now? You try to make sense of it all, but you start to fall into the next stage, denial.
Denial
2nd Stage of Grief
Denial is usually long-term and can lasts for many years. Why? It is too difficult to cope with the memories of your abortion. You start to deny that abortion killed your child. You may think, "No, I would never murder a baby. I just terminated a pregnancy". You may begin to think back when you were told that it wasn't really a baby you were getting rid of...it was just a "blob of tissue". You find yourself justifying what you did.
For some women and men, denial ends when they are confronted with the truth of seeing pictures of fetal development. You tend to pay close attention to the stage of development that your own child was terminated. Other women come face to face with their loss when they have a wanted pregnancy. You may wander will this baby make it? I chose to abort a child, do I deserve a second chance? The answer is yes. God is forgiving and He is in the business of second chances. There will be consequences for what you did, but as long as remorse is in your heart, forgiveness from God will be rewarded. Many women and men desperately come to grips with the truth and finally stop running from God. They begin to seek Him from the depths of their hearts, searching for comfort that only He can give.
Anger
3rd Stage of Grief
In this stage, you start to realize the truth about abortion and you become angry. You start to question the actions of others and blame them for your loss. Your questioning begins... "The clinic should have told me the truth about fetal development; they should have told me about adoption, My parents should have been more concerned about me than what others thought, She shouldn't have chosen abortion, Men don't have any choice in abortion or Why didn't God stop me?" If your anger continues and you don't express yourself, it can turn into bitterness and interfere in other areas of your life. Anger is not a sin. It is a God given emotion to help you deal with problems. But, when you let your anger control you, then it becomes a sin. To get rid of this anger, the next step you must learn to do is...forgive.
Forgiveness
4th Stage of Grief
In this stage men and women must learn to forgive the people and circumstances that led to their abortion. It becomes the hardest stage to overcome. But, in order for you to heal, it has to be done.
You start to come to grips with the truth and know that you cannot change the past or change others. What you can change is your own response to your hurt and anger. You can now begin to choose forgiveness. It is the unconditional type of forgiveness that leaves you free, with no strings attached. Then, you can learn to make room in your life for love. Love can conquer all fears and soften the pain. God's love is everlasting. Why? Because, God is Love. He can teach you how to love unconditionally and His love is forgiving and sets you free.
Depression
5th Stage of Grief
The roles men and women played in their baby's death can fill them with guilt, shame, self-condemnation, and self-pity. It is in this stage that harmful behavior such as excessive drug and alcohol use or suicidal tendencies are noticeable. Men tend to also have to deal with becoming more aggressive and abusive. In this stage, you may feel the need to punish yourself, which may show up in psychosomatic illnesses or you may become accident prone. Through these behaviors, you may attempt to ease the pain of guilt, but fail to do so. You began to blame yourself for not preventing the abortion; not learning the truth in time, not choosing life for the baby, and for not standing up for what was right. Men who chose abortion experience extreme guilt because he failed in his responsibility to his child and to his child's mother. In moving forward out of depression, you are no longer angry with yourself but have now accepted responsibility for what you have done. You now start to surround yourself with God's loving forgiveness.
Acceptance
Last Stage of Grief
By now, you have forgiven those who hurt you and have accepted God's forgiveness. You have acknowledged all the emotions that go with grieving and you have faced them head-on.
You begin to show gratitude for all that you have learned and want to share that experience with others. In acceptance, you are fully aware of what God is doing with your pain and watch joyfully as He turns it into a blessing. You have a deeper understanding of God's plan for your life. You wait patiently as He shows you how this painful experience with grief fits into His perfect plan. Is this a process that you would want to repeat? Absolutely not. But, if you learn anything, learn that it was God's love, grace, mercy and forgiveness that brought you through it all. You learn the true meaning of being forgiven and set free, even when you didn't deserve it.
SOURCE
Source: Forgiven and Set Free by Linda Cochrane
Is grieving a normal and healthy response after an abortion? Absolutely. The child that was lost became a major loss through death. Grief is painful, but it is necessary in relieving our sorrow. After an abortion, women may attempt to bury their grief, turn off their emotions, and run from God. Eventually, they face the fact that abortion ended their unborn child's life.
The grieving that follows an abortion is similar to the grief of a woman who has a miscarriage. Both experience stages of denial, anger, depression, and acceptance. Both experience guilt, but the source of their guilt is not the same. Women who had a miscarriage feel guilty because they don't know what role they played in their child's death. Women who choose abortion feel guilty because they do know what role they played in their child's death.
For men, they are usually the silent, wounded warrior...suffering because they are not given a choice. Because they had no choice, they question their right to have feelings following an abortion. Make no mistake, abortion leaves both men and women wounded. They both struggle with fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, grief, and depression. For men, there is in most cases, an unexplainable need to defend their masculinity; that need causes much confusion and strife in most of their relationships and they don't even realize the effects of abortion was the root cause of their problems.
Relief
1st Stage of Grief
What usually goes through a woman's mind after having an abortion? "Thank God, I am not pregnant anymore." Men usually think, "Thank God, the pregnancy is over." Everything that has happened since she found out that she was pregnant and all the decisions since then, have now come to a close...it's finally over. Now, you are left feeling relieved. But, it doesn't take long before the woman starts to rehearse over and over in her mind, what had happened to her and the child. What do I do now? You try to make sense of it all, but you start to fall into the next stage, denial.
Denial
2nd Stage of Grief
Denial is usually long-term and can lasts for many years. Why? It is too difficult to cope with the memories of your abortion. You start to deny that abortion killed your child. You may think, "No, I would never murder a baby. I just terminated a pregnancy". You may begin to think back when you were told that it wasn't really a baby you were getting rid of...it was just a "blob of tissue". You find yourself justifying what you did.
For some women and men, denial ends when they are confronted with the truth of seeing pictures of fetal development. You tend to pay close attention to the stage of development that your own child was terminated. Other women come face to face with their loss when they have a wanted pregnancy. You may wander will this baby make it? I chose to abort a child, do I deserve a second chance? The answer is yes. God is forgiving and He is in the business of second chances. There will be consequences for what you did, but as long as remorse is in your heart, forgiveness from God will be rewarded. Many women and men desperately come to grips with the truth and finally stop running from God. They begin to seek Him from the depths of their hearts, searching for comfort that only He can give.
Anger
3rd Stage of Grief
In this stage, you start to realize the truth about abortion and you become angry. You start to question the actions of others and blame them for your loss. Your questioning begins... "The clinic should have told me the truth about fetal development; they should have told me about adoption, My parents should have been more concerned about me than what others thought, She shouldn't have chosen abortion, Men don't have any choice in abortion or Why didn't God stop me?" If your anger continues and you don't express yourself, it can turn into bitterness and interfere in other areas of your life. Anger is not a sin. It is a God given emotion to help you deal with problems. But, when you let your anger control you, then it becomes a sin. To get rid of this anger, the next step you must learn to do is...forgive.
Forgiveness
4th Stage of Grief
In this stage men and women must learn to forgive the people and circumstances that led to their abortion. It becomes the hardest stage to overcome. But, in order for you to heal, it has to be done.
You start to come to grips with the truth and know that you cannot change the past or change others. What you can change is your own response to your hurt and anger. You can now begin to choose forgiveness. It is the unconditional type of forgiveness that leaves you free, with no strings attached. Then, you can learn to make room in your life for love. Love can conquer all fears and soften the pain. God's love is everlasting. Why? Because, God is Love. He can teach you how to love unconditionally and His love is forgiving and sets you free.
Depression
5th Stage of Grief
The roles men and women played in their baby's death can fill them with guilt, shame, self-condemnation, and self-pity. It is in this stage that harmful behavior such as excessive drug and alcohol use or suicidal tendencies are noticeable. Men tend to also have to deal with becoming more aggressive and abusive. In this stage, you may feel the need to punish yourself, which may show up in psychosomatic illnesses or you may become accident prone. Through these behaviors, you may attempt to ease the pain of guilt, but fail to do so. You began to blame yourself for not preventing the abortion; not learning the truth in time, not choosing life for the baby, and for not standing up for what was right. Men who chose abortion experience extreme guilt because he failed in his responsibility to his child and to his child's mother. In moving forward out of depression, you are no longer angry with yourself but have now accepted responsibility for what you have done. You now start to surround yourself with God's loving forgiveness.
Acceptance
Last Stage of Grief
By now, you have forgiven those who hurt you and have accepted God's forgiveness. You have acknowledged all the emotions that go with grieving and you have faced them head-on.
You begin to show gratitude for all that you have learned and want to share that experience with others. In acceptance, you are fully aware of what God is doing with your pain and watch joyfully as He turns it into a blessing. You have a deeper understanding of God's plan for your life. You wait patiently as He shows you how this painful experience with grief fits into His perfect plan. Is this a process that you would want to repeat? Absolutely not. But, if you learn anything, learn that it was God's love, grace, mercy and forgiveness that brought you through it all. You learn the true meaning of being forgiven and set free, even when you didn't deserve it.
SOURCE
Friday, January 15, 2010
What Does God Say About Forgiveness?
1.Psalm 130:4
But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
2.Daniel 9:9
To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
3.Acts 5:31
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
4.Acts 13:38
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
5.Acts 26:15-18
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
6.Ephesians 1:4-7
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace
7.Colossians 1:12-15
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature
But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
2.Daniel 9:9
To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
3.Acts 5:31
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
4.Acts 13:38
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
5.Acts 26:15-18
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
6.Ephesians 1:4-7
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace
7.Colossians 1:12-15
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature
Christ is Our Only Hope
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
1 Peter 1: 3-5;13-16
Finding Hope in the Healing
source
What are the steps to healing?
Healing involves changing the way you think and act. God has the answer to any problem you face, but you must change in order to apply the solution to your life.
The following six steps are essential for this change:
1. Recognize your areas of sin (1 John 1:8).
2. Repent of your sin (1 John 1:9).
3. Request God's help, depending upon Him to hear you (1 John 5:14-15).
4. Relinquish your sinful thoughts or actions (Romans 6:5-7; Colossians 3:8-9).
5. Replace your sinful thoughts or actions with a godly response (Colossians 3:10; Romans 12:1-2).
6. Repeat the above five steps until your godly response becomes a habit (John 3:21; Colossians 3:23).
Remember - before you take these six steps, you must first accept Christ's atonement on your behalf. Until you come by faith to trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, all attempts to overcome your abortion aftermath are done in your own strength. Resolving abortion's aftermath is accomplished through God's power and only if you are His child.
I fully realize the methods of dealing with your abortion presented in this book are contrary to the way the world would have you deal with your abortion. Without the Holy Spirit to guide you, the solutions I've presented would appear foolish, and you would not understand why they will work. As you begin to practice God's solutions, you will find they do work.
Galatians 5:19-21 contains a list of things that God hates. Included are immorality, impurity, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, and envying. These are the things we practiced in the past, but now desire to eliminate from our lives.
As you begin to deal with your sinful reactions to your abortion in a way pleasing to God, the Holy Spirit will begin to produce fruit in your life. Galatians 5:22-23 lists nine parts to the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These result from proper responses to emotions that once overwhelmed you to the point of despair. Look for them in your life as you begin to solve your problems God's way.
Your natural tendency will be to return to your negative thought patterns. You may be encouraged to go your own way by people who may ridicule you as you apply biblical principles to your life. Expect it, but don't allow ungodly attitudes and advice to keep you from having victory over your problems. Understand that "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18).
"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
1 Peter 1: 3-5;13-16
Finding Hope in the Healing
source
What are the steps to healing?
Healing involves changing the way you think and act. God has the answer to any problem you face, but you must change in order to apply the solution to your life.
The following six steps are essential for this change:
1. Recognize your areas of sin (1 John 1:8).
2. Repent of your sin (1 John 1:9).
3. Request God's help, depending upon Him to hear you (1 John 5:14-15).
4. Relinquish your sinful thoughts or actions (Romans 6:5-7; Colossians 3:8-9).
5. Replace your sinful thoughts or actions with a godly response (Colossians 3:10; Romans 12:1-2).
6. Repeat the above five steps until your godly response becomes a habit (John 3:21; Colossians 3:23).
Remember - before you take these six steps, you must first accept Christ's atonement on your behalf. Until you come by faith to trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, all attempts to overcome your abortion aftermath are done in your own strength. Resolving abortion's aftermath is accomplished through God's power and only if you are His child.
I fully realize the methods of dealing with your abortion presented in this book are contrary to the way the world would have you deal with your abortion. Without the Holy Spirit to guide you, the solutions I've presented would appear foolish, and you would not understand why they will work. As you begin to practice God's solutions, you will find they do work.
Galatians 5:19-21 contains a list of things that God hates. Included are immorality, impurity, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, and envying. These are the things we practiced in the past, but now desire to eliminate from our lives.
As you begin to deal with your sinful reactions to your abortion in a way pleasing to God, the Holy Spirit will begin to produce fruit in your life. Galatians 5:22-23 lists nine parts to the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These result from proper responses to emotions that once overwhelmed you to the point of despair. Look for them in your life as you begin to solve your problems God's way.
Your natural tendency will be to return to your negative thought patterns. You may be encouraged to go your own way by people who may ridicule you as you apply biblical principles to your life. Expect it, but don't allow ungodly attitudes and advice to keep you from having victory over your problems. Understand that "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18).
What About the Memories?
Why Can't I Forget?
Chapter 4
"I don't think about it daily anymore but I probably won't be able to 'forget' about it until abortion is made illegal again so it isn't an issue anymore." Debra
Do questions such as the following plague your mind?
· Will I ever be able to get through a December without thinking
"My baby would be 4 years old, 5 years old, etc.?"
· Why do sometimes I get totally depressed and then other times I'll
be just fine?
· When will I stop missing my children I never knew?
· How long does it take before I stop thinking about abortion daily?
· Will I ever stop crying in late June (which is when the baby might
have been born) or in late October (when I had the abortion)?
· Can I live with the memories?
· When will I stop thinking about it?
Many women seldom think about their abortions. Then the anniversary date of the abortion or the anticipated birth date of the baby appears on the calendar. The woman begins to feel bad. Depression sets in. She may not even know the cause - yet she remembers.
My own abortion took place on Valentine's Day 1971. On Valentine's Day 1972, one year following my abortion, I became absolutely hysterical when Leigh (who was then my fiancé) failed to recognize the day with a special gift. Prior to that time I had not cared one way or the other if Valentine's Day passed uneventfully. Finding myself so upset, I thought it was because I was engaged to be married and wanted to feel loved. I did want to feel loved. But I'd interpreted the reason for my hysteria incorrectly. Many years later I realized February 14 was the anniversary date of my abortion. I have not had a similar feeling since that first anniversary of my abortion. In fact, as I am working on this book and February 14 has just passed, it amazes me that I should be able to cross such a hurdle without dwelling on the traumatic event which took place on that date many years ago. Today I remember with sadness but realize I can go on.
Why didn't the clinic prepare me for the psychological effects to follow - flashbacks, hallucinations, nightmares, and the like?
The obvious answers to this question are that the personnel at the clinic were probably unaware of or refused to believe abortion produces a traumatic aftermath. Also, had the clinic told you of such possible occurrences, you probably would have chosen not to abort your baby. That would be bad for business. But let's go a step further and explore the reason why you have these symptoms.
Your mind may be focusing on your abortion because of unreconciled trauma related to it. Perhaps you are still experiencing guilt, denial, anxiety, anger, fear, or doubt. Something is wrong and your mind is prompting you to take action to correct the problem.
Shortly following my marriage, I began to dream regularly of babies floating down drains or being pickled in jars. The horrible scenes of my dreams were in vivid color. Leigh often held me in his arms for hours after I awoke in a cold sweat from a dream. During my waking hours my mind flashed back to seeing my aborted baby lying dead between my legs after I delivered him - perfectly formed and horribly burned from the saline. I wanted to die in order to rid myself of the torment. I did not consciously call up these nightmares and flashbacks. They came unbidden and unwelcome. They signaled "DANGER! Something is wrong." Once I understood how to deal with them and took the appropriate actions, they ceased and have never returned.
Cheryl offers these thoughts: "For some time after my confession I was haunted by the thought that if I could go back, I would abort that baby again because if I had borne that child, I would never have met my husband. The Lord helped me resolve this. . . . He helped me realize it is sinful to ask yourself 'if' questions about the past. I no longer believe this about myself because I am stronger in my faith and further along in my walk with the Lord."
What does it mean to "forget"?
Forgetting doesn't mean not remembering. I have "forgotten" my abortion in the sense that I can write and speak on the topic of abortion without guilt or grief, without anger or bitterness. Forgetting involves refusing to dwell on the act, refusing to rehash it again and again as a method of self-torture. Forgetting is continuing on with your life without remaining emotionally crippled by your loss.
God tells us that if we repent, He will forget our sins. Isaiah 43:25 reads, "I, even I, am the One who wipes out your transgressions for my own sake; And I will not remember your sins." God being who He is, can never blot out from His mind something which has occurred. But He refuses to call it up and charge it to our account.
I feel a kinship to the apostle Paul. This great man of God had terrible sin in his life. He was a Jewish religious leader who persecuted and tortured Christians prior to his conversion to Christianity. After recounting his life in Philippians 3:4-10, Paul continues in verses 13-14 by informing us he now lived his life, "Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." Is Paul contradicting himself? No, I believe Paul wrote these verses to encourage us that although we have committed sins in our life which we will never forget, we can refuse to dwell on them and instead move forward in our lives. It may not happen overnight. "Forgetting" begins by consciously refusing to dwell on your abortion. Others have forgotten. So can you!
When will I stop thinking about it?
I'm going to share something that happened to me one Sunday during church. Abortion was the farthest thing from my mind as seventeen children were brought forward by their parents to be dedicated to the Lord. Suddenly, there I sat in the midst of six hundred people bawling my eyes out as my mind remembered I have one child I can never physically dedicate to God. At first this rush of emotion baffled me because I know I have dealt with my abortion. Then I realized that, just as with any loss through death, sometimes something will happen that will cause me to remember and feel sad. I'm thankful that embarrassing incident happened, because it's good, occasionally, to remember. It keeps me compassionate toward others.
Liz writes, "I still have a little trouble on the anniversary of the time of the abortion. . . . And I've had trouble near the time that baby would have been born. But both are getting easier. And I don't think I'm supposed to forget. Just to learn from this and be stronger in my faith."
Why does my abortion continue to plague my thoughts?
Sometimes we aren't able to forget our abortion because we actually try to remember the horror of it all. We don't want to forget. We may believe that by calling up our abortion experience, we keep the baby alive. Or we may use remembering as an attempt to punish ourselves.
If you can't forget, it may be a signal that something needs to be resolved. I wish you would take a minute to read Job 11:14-20. How wonderful to know if we put away our sin, we shall shine as the morning, forget our misery, and experience peace through hope.
Your particular memory will keep returning until the problem is settled. Perhaps you haven't asked God's forgiveness for your abortion. Possibly you are still involved in sexual immorality. Do you still harbor anger or bitterness against someone involved with your abortion? You won't "forget" until you resolve the conflict within your mind. You can't resolve the conflict within your mind until your conscience is clear. Only God can provide a clear conscience. You might want to pray David's prayer for cleansing in Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me oh God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there by any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (KJV).
I trust one day this woman's words will be true of you: "I have resolved a lot of my emotions pertaining to my abortion so well through Christ, that I can't remember how I used to feel."
Chapter 4
"I don't think about it daily anymore but I probably won't be able to 'forget' about it until abortion is made illegal again so it isn't an issue anymore." Debra
Do questions such as the following plague your mind?
· Will I ever be able to get through a December without thinking
"My baby would be 4 years old, 5 years old, etc.?"
· Why do sometimes I get totally depressed and then other times I'll
be just fine?
· When will I stop missing my children I never knew?
· How long does it take before I stop thinking about abortion daily?
· Will I ever stop crying in late June (which is when the baby might
have been born) or in late October (when I had the abortion)?
· Can I live with the memories?
· When will I stop thinking about it?
Many women seldom think about their abortions. Then the anniversary date of the abortion or the anticipated birth date of the baby appears on the calendar. The woman begins to feel bad. Depression sets in. She may not even know the cause - yet she remembers.
My own abortion took place on Valentine's Day 1971. On Valentine's Day 1972, one year following my abortion, I became absolutely hysterical when Leigh (who was then my fiancé) failed to recognize the day with a special gift. Prior to that time I had not cared one way or the other if Valentine's Day passed uneventfully. Finding myself so upset, I thought it was because I was engaged to be married and wanted to feel loved. I did want to feel loved. But I'd interpreted the reason for my hysteria incorrectly. Many years later I realized February 14 was the anniversary date of my abortion. I have not had a similar feeling since that first anniversary of my abortion. In fact, as I am working on this book and February 14 has just passed, it amazes me that I should be able to cross such a hurdle without dwelling on the traumatic event which took place on that date many years ago. Today I remember with sadness but realize I can go on.
Why didn't the clinic prepare me for the psychological effects to follow - flashbacks, hallucinations, nightmares, and the like?
The obvious answers to this question are that the personnel at the clinic were probably unaware of or refused to believe abortion produces a traumatic aftermath. Also, had the clinic told you of such possible occurrences, you probably would have chosen not to abort your baby. That would be bad for business. But let's go a step further and explore the reason why you have these symptoms.
Your mind may be focusing on your abortion because of unreconciled trauma related to it. Perhaps you are still experiencing guilt, denial, anxiety, anger, fear, or doubt. Something is wrong and your mind is prompting you to take action to correct the problem.
Shortly following my marriage, I began to dream regularly of babies floating down drains or being pickled in jars. The horrible scenes of my dreams were in vivid color. Leigh often held me in his arms for hours after I awoke in a cold sweat from a dream. During my waking hours my mind flashed back to seeing my aborted baby lying dead between my legs after I delivered him - perfectly formed and horribly burned from the saline. I wanted to die in order to rid myself of the torment. I did not consciously call up these nightmares and flashbacks. They came unbidden and unwelcome. They signaled "DANGER! Something is wrong." Once I understood how to deal with them and took the appropriate actions, they ceased and have never returned.
Cheryl offers these thoughts: "For some time after my confession I was haunted by the thought that if I could go back, I would abort that baby again because if I had borne that child, I would never have met my husband. The Lord helped me resolve this. . . . He helped me realize it is sinful to ask yourself 'if' questions about the past. I no longer believe this about myself because I am stronger in my faith and further along in my walk with the Lord."
What does it mean to "forget"?
Forgetting doesn't mean not remembering. I have "forgotten" my abortion in the sense that I can write and speak on the topic of abortion without guilt or grief, without anger or bitterness. Forgetting involves refusing to dwell on the act, refusing to rehash it again and again as a method of self-torture. Forgetting is continuing on with your life without remaining emotionally crippled by your loss.
God tells us that if we repent, He will forget our sins. Isaiah 43:25 reads, "I, even I, am the One who wipes out your transgressions for my own sake; And I will not remember your sins." God being who He is, can never blot out from His mind something which has occurred. But He refuses to call it up and charge it to our account.
I feel a kinship to the apostle Paul. This great man of God had terrible sin in his life. He was a Jewish religious leader who persecuted and tortured Christians prior to his conversion to Christianity. After recounting his life in Philippians 3:4-10, Paul continues in verses 13-14 by informing us he now lived his life, "Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." Is Paul contradicting himself? No, I believe Paul wrote these verses to encourage us that although we have committed sins in our life which we will never forget, we can refuse to dwell on them and instead move forward in our lives. It may not happen overnight. "Forgetting" begins by consciously refusing to dwell on your abortion. Others have forgotten. So can you!
When will I stop thinking about it?
I'm going to share something that happened to me one Sunday during church. Abortion was the farthest thing from my mind as seventeen children were brought forward by their parents to be dedicated to the Lord. Suddenly, there I sat in the midst of six hundred people bawling my eyes out as my mind remembered I have one child I can never physically dedicate to God. At first this rush of emotion baffled me because I know I have dealt with my abortion. Then I realized that, just as with any loss through death, sometimes something will happen that will cause me to remember and feel sad. I'm thankful that embarrassing incident happened, because it's good, occasionally, to remember. It keeps me compassionate toward others.
Liz writes, "I still have a little trouble on the anniversary of the time of the abortion. . . . And I've had trouble near the time that baby would have been born. But both are getting easier. And I don't think I'm supposed to forget. Just to learn from this and be stronger in my faith."
Why does my abortion continue to plague my thoughts?
Sometimes we aren't able to forget our abortion because we actually try to remember the horror of it all. We don't want to forget. We may believe that by calling up our abortion experience, we keep the baby alive. Or we may use remembering as an attempt to punish ourselves.
If you can't forget, it may be a signal that something needs to be resolved. I wish you would take a minute to read Job 11:14-20. How wonderful to know if we put away our sin, we shall shine as the morning, forget our misery, and experience peace through hope.
Your particular memory will keep returning until the problem is settled. Perhaps you haven't asked God's forgiveness for your abortion. Possibly you are still involved in sexual immorality. Do you still harbor anger or bitterness against someone involved with your abortion? You won't "forget" until you resolve the conflict within your mind. You can't resolve the conflict within your mind until your conscience is clear. Only God can provide a clear conscience. You might want to pray David's prayer for cleansing in Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me oh God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there by any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (KJV).
I trust one day this woman's words will be true of you: "I have resolved a lot of my emotions pertaining to my abortion so well through Christ, that I can't remember how I used to feel."
How Do I Forgive Myself?
HELP AFTER ABORTION
Chapter 16
Will I Ever Be Able to Forgive Myself?
"I know that I can't change the past, but I can certainly change the future. I want to live the rest of my life free from guilt and I believe God wants this too." Anonymous
“I know God has forgiven me, and I've forgiven those involved, but I just can't forgive myself!" This statement has been repeated to me dozens of time by people who are working through past sin in their lives. Then follows the question, "Is there a way to forgive myself?" The answer is "yes." Let's look at what is involved in "forgiving yourself."
What does it mean to forgive oneself?
Forgiving yourself means that you accept your past sin, for example, your abortion, as over and done with - finished. A part of your past, a terrible part of your past, but a part of your past. Forgiving yourself means you refuse to dwell on your past sinful act of abortion. As discussed in an earlier chapter, this does not means you forget what you have done. You will never forget, in the sense of losing all memory, what you did. But you can learn to say with the Apostle Paul, "But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). That doesn't mean you talk about your abortion casually or flippantly. An abortion is a serious offense against God's law. However, you are now free to discuss your abortion when opportunities arise in order to help others. None of us are proud of what we did. But we must learn to let go and go on.
It is interesting to note that the act of forgiving oneself is not mentioned in the Bible. We are instructed to forgive others and to seek forgiveness from others. Never are we told to forgive ourselves. Psalm 51:12 records David crying out for restoration, "Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, And sustain me with a willing spirit." In speaking of forgiving ourselves, we are talking about regaining the joy of our salvation. That can happen only when all is right between you and God and between you and your fellow human beings. Think of that special moment when you first trusted Jesus for salvation. That initial satisfaction of knowing all was right is what we want to regain.
Why am I having such a hard time forgiving myself?
Perhaps this question, submitted on my survey, more accurately phrases this question: "What right have I to peace and happiness when a child was killed to achieve these goals?" Paulette Hawkins wrote, "The hardest thing for me to do after my abortion was to forgive myself. I felt that I deserved to be punished. I would ask God to forgive me, but then I wouldn't accept His forgiveness. Mentally I was beating myself to death. I had been praying for God to take me, to let me die because I couldn't stand living anymore. Since I killed my baby, why should I live? I told God if he didn't let me die, then I would do something about it myself. That's when my husband had me hospitalized. He didn't even know about my abortion at that time. He just knew that for some reason I deeply hated myself."
One woman who has never had an abortion, but only contemplated one, asked: "Is it normal to feel guilty for so many years having only contemplated abortion at one time?" The very act of considering abortion has left this woman feeling guilty. Yes, it is normal to feel guilty over something we have thought or done which is wrong. What is not normal is to continue to carry the guilt once we have asked God to forgive us.
Sometimes our actions have caused irreparable damage. The baby is gone. People have been hurt. You must understand that what is done is past. You can't undo it. You can only accept God's forgiveness and go on.
I think we sometimes try to hang on to our sins. We feel we must in some way "pay" for our abortion. We looked at this in Chapter Thirteen which deals with punishment. If God has forgiven you (and He has if you have asked Him), you have begun a new life in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is not within your "rights" to punish yourself for a forgiven act.
What is necessary now is to thank God for freeing you. The Bible tells you, "If therefore the Son [Jesus] shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36). The weight of your abortion is gone. Think of the freedom God has given you. "How blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him, and in whose spirit is no deceit!" (Psalm 32:1-2 NIV). Rejoice! Your sins are covered by the precious blood of Jesus - completely and forever.
How do I justify having done something so horrible?
To justify means to make something right. You can't justify your abortion. There is nothing you can do to make it right. Only God through Jesus Christ can make it right.
How can I expect God to forgive me when I can't even forgive myself?
God's forgiveness is not contingent upon your feelings. God extends forgiveness to all people. Some choose not to accept His forgiveness. Receiving God's forgiveness is contingent only upon your trusting in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient to pay the penalty for your sins.
How can I get over feeling like a bad person instead of feeling as though I've done something bad?
This is a good question. The answer lies in understanding that God views people separately from the things they do. Did you know that God loves people who do bad things? How do I know this? Because no one does good! Does this surprise you? Read these words from Romans 3:12: "There is none who does good, there is not even one" (see also Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-4). Then God tells us some great news in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." I'm so glad God loves people even though we do bad things (sin). Romans 3:25 says that we are "justified [accepted by God] freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
Therefore, once you trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are a good person (through Christ) who still sometimes does bad things.
Do I truly understand and accept God's forgiveness if I can't forgive myself?
First of all, there is no such word as "can't" in God's language. We may choose not to do something, but the fact is we could do it if we wanted. When you say you "can't" forgive yourself, what you really mean is you "won't" forgive yourself.
This is how I described failure to forgive yourself in Abortion's Second Victim:
In ancient times when a person was cast into prison, a list of his or her debts was recorded. When the debts were satisfied, the words "It is finished" were written across the list of debts. Now think of Christ as the One upon whom all your debts (sins) were written. Your debts were nailed to the cross in the form of Jesus Christ. When Christ, in His final words, cried out, "It is finished," He was canceling your debt by paying the price for you (John 19:30). If you have trusted Christ as your personal Savior, you now possess a receipt marked "It is finished." It's your proof that the reason for your guilt is gone. The debt has been paid.
Each time you permit yourself to feel guilty about your abortion, it is as if you were running to the cross to pound one more nail into Christ's body. You are saying to God, "I don't believe this one debt is paid." You are not trusting Christ's death as sufficient for paying all your sin - as though it were too big for Him to handle alone. If you belong to Christ, the debt is paid, and the reason for your guilt is gone.[1]
If you still believe you must "forgive yourself," you may understand God's forgiveness and yet have failed to apply His forgiveness to your own life. Accepting God's forgiveness is what forgiving ourselves mean. God willingly forgives all our sins at the moment of salvation when we trust Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Forgiveness is like salvation - God extends it to us, but we don't benefit from it until we begin to appropriate it into our lives. We must learn to live what we know to be true.
If God has forgiven me, why do I still feel guilty?
The key word here is "feel." If you have truly repented of your sins, including your sin of abortion, then you are no longer guilty. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Satan would have us live defeated lives. He lost us to heaven when we trusted Christ as our personal Savior, but he wants us to be miserable as long as we live on this earth.
Peter Wilkes says, "Guilt feelings that stem from things we have done can only be removed when our actions themselves are dealt with. Dealing with the feelings alone never works because guilt is not just a feeling. We are guilty because we have done wrong. That wrongness is not a feeling - it's a fact."[2] Second Corinthians 7:10 tells us godly sorrow leads to true repentance. God uses guilt to drive us toward Him in utter helplessness because only Jesus can deal with our guilt.
If you still feel guilty, there may be a valid reason. Ask yourself two questions. Are you truly a child of God, having come to Him through the shed blood of Christ alone for forgiveness? If so, are there any unresolved conflicts regarding your abortion which are bringing guilt? Once you settle the account, so to speak, the guilt will be gone.
In her pamphlet entitled, . . . But I Can't Forgive Myself!, Melody Green advises us to ask ourselves if we are being convicted (by the Holy Spirit) or condemned (by Satan). She correctly states that conviction is specific. Your thoughts say, "You have just lied." On the other hand, condemnation is vague. Thoughts such as, "You aren't any good" or "God could never forgive an abortion" fill your mind. If you aren't certain which it is, ask God to clarify the situation - "God, what are you trying to tell me?" Melody Green adds, "If it's the Lord, and if you are open to being corrected, guaranteed He will tell you."[3]
Mary Ann tells how she handles Satan's attacks: "When Satan tries to tell me that the sin of abortion is too terrible to be forgiven or brought out into the open (and the scoundrel still tries at times to induce me to believe that), I [resist] him [in the name of Jesus] and refuse to believe that lie. I am washed clean by the blood of Jesus. Praise Him forever!"
If you have trusted in the shed blood of Christ to forgive your sins, the fact is that God has forgiven you. You are no longer guilty. Live according to the facts, not according to your sometimes inaccurate feelings.
Is there anything else that will help me?
The Bible says you were once alienated from God in your mind by wicked works. God has reconciled you and now holds you holy, unblameable, and irreproachable if you continue in hope and practice of what you know to be true (Colossians 1:21-23). A beautiful portion of Scripture is Colossians 2:8-15. Here we are warned to focus our beliefs and actions in Christ rather than in man because, "In [Christ] all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form." The passage continues to tell us although we were dead in our sins, "[Christ] made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt. . . . He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
Think about this - if you have asked God to forgive you for your abortion, and then go back to God and ask Him to forgive you for the abortion again, God says to you, "My precious child, what abortion?" Hallelujah! We are free!
Chapter 16
Will I Ever Be Able to Forgive Myself?
"I know that I can't change the past, but I can certainly change the future. I want to live the rest of my life free from guilt and I believe God wants this too." Anonymous
“I know God has forgiven me, and I've forgiven those involved, but I just can't forgive myself!" This statement has been repeated to me dozens of time by people who are working through past sin in their lives. Then follows the question, "Is there a way to forgive myself?" The answer is "yes." Let's look at what is involved in "forgiving yourself."
What does it mean to forgive oneself?
Forgiving yourself means that you accept your past sin, for example, your abortion, as over and done with - finished. A part of your past, a terrible part of your past, but a part of your past. Forgiving yourself means you refuse to dwell on your past sinful act of abortion. As discussed in an earlier chapter, this does not means you forget what you have done. You will never forget, in the sense of losing all memory, what you did. But you can learn to say with the Apostle Paul, "But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). That doesn't mean you talk about your abortion casually or flippantly. An abortion is a serious offense against God's law. However, you are now free to discuss your abortion when opportunities arise in order to help others. None of us are proud of what we did. But we must learn to let go and go on.
It is interesting to note that the act of forgiving oneself is not mentioned in the Bible. We are instructed to forgive others and to seek forgiveness from others. Never are we told to forgive ourselves. Psalm 51:12 records David crying out for restoration, "Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, And sustain me with a willing spirit." In speaking of forgiving ourselves, we are talking about regaining the joy of our salvation. That can happen only when all is right between you and God and between you and your fellow human beings. Think of that special moment when you first trusted Jesus for salvation. That initial satisfaction of knowing all was right is what we want to regain.
Why am I having such a hard time forgiving myself?
Perhaps this question, submitted on my survey, more accurately phrases this question: "What right have I to peace and happiness when a child was killed to achieve these goals?" Paulette Hawkins wrote, "The hardest thing for me to do after my abortion was to forgive myself. I felt that I deserved to be punished. I would ask God to forgive me, but then I wouldn't accept His forgiveness. Mentally I was beating myself to death. I had been praying for God to take me, to let me die because I couldn't stand living anymore. Since I killed my baby, why should I live? I told God if he didn't let me die, then I would do something about it myself. That's when my husband had me hospitalized. He didn't even know about my abortion at that time. He just knew that for some reason I deeply hated myself."
One woman who has never had an abortion, but only contemplated one, asked: "Is it normal to feel guilty for so many years having only contemplated abortion at one time?" The very act of considering abortion has left this woman feeling guilty. Yes, it is normal to feel guilty over something we have thought or done which is wrong. What is not normal is to continue to carry the guilt once we have asked God to forgive us.
Sometimes our actions have caused irreparable damage. The baby is gone. People have been hurt. You must understand that what is done is past. You can't undo it. You can only accept God's forgiveness and go on.
I think we sometimes try to hang on to our sins. We feel we must in some way "pay" for our abortion. We looked at this in Chapter Thirteen which deals with punishment. If God has forgiven you (and He has if you have asked Him), you have begun a new life in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is not within your "rights" to punish yourself for a forgiven act.
What is necessary now is to thank God for freeing you. The Bible tells you, "If therefore the Son [Jesus] shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36). The weight of your abortion is gone. Think of the freedom God has given you. "How blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him, and in whose spirit is no deceit!" (Psalm 32:1-2 NIV). Rejoice! Your sins are covered by the precious blood of Jesus - completely and forever.
How do I justify having done something so horrible?
To justify means to make something right. You can't justify your abortion. There is nothing you can do to make it right. Only God through Jesus Christ can make it right.
How can I expect God to forgive me when I can't even forgive myself?
God's forgiveness is not contingent upon your feelings. God extends forgiveness to all people. Some choose not to accept His forgiveness. Receiving God's forgiveness is contingent only upon your trusting in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient to pay the penalty for your sins.
How can I get over feeling like a bad person instead of feeling as though I've done something bad?
This is a good question. The answer lies in understanding that God views people separately from the things they do. Did you know that God loves people who do bad things? How do I know this? Because no one does good! Does this surprise you? Read these words from Romans 3:12: "There is none who does good, there is not even one" (see also Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-4). Then God tells us some great news in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." I'm so glad God loves people even though we do bad things (sin). Romans 3:25 says that we are "justified [accepted by God] freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
Therefore, once you trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are a good person (through Christ) who still sometimes does bad things.
Do I truly understand and accept God's forgiveness if I can't forgive myself?
First of all, there is no such word as "can't" in God's language. We may choose not to do something, but the fact is we could do it if we wanted. When you say you "can't" forgive yourself, what you really mean is you "won't" forgive yourself.
This is how I described failure to forgive yourself in Abortion's Second Victim:
In ancient times when a person was cast into prison, a list of his or her debts was recorded. When the debts were satisfied, the words "It is finished" were written across the list of debts. Now think of Christ as the One upon whom all your debts (sins) were written. Your debts were nailed to the cross in the form of Jesus Christ. When Christ, in His final words, cried out, "It is finished," He was canceling your debt by paying the price for you (John 19:30). If you have trusted Christ as your personal Savior, you now possess a receipt marked "It is finished." It's your proof that the reason for your guilt is gone. The debt has been paid.
Each time you permit yourself to feel guilty about your abortion, it is as if you were running to the cross to pound one more nail into Christ's body. You are saying to God, "I don't believe this one debt is paid." You are not trusting Christ's death as sufficient for paying all your sin - as though it were too big for Him to handle alone. If you belong to Christ, the debt is paid, and the reason for your guilt is gone.[1]
If you still believe you must "forgive yourself," you may understand God's forgiveness and yet have failed to apply His forgiveness to your own life. Accepting God's forgiveness is what forgiving ourselves mean. God willingly forgives all our sins at the moment of salvation when we trust Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Forgiveness is like salvation - God extends it to us, but we don't benefit from it until we begin to appropriate it into our lives. We must learn to live what we know to be true.
If God has forgiven me, why do I still feel guilty?
The key word here is "feel." If you have truly repented of your sins, including your sin of abortion, then you are no longer guilty. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Satan would have us live defeated lives. He lost us to heaven when we trusted Christ as our personal Savior, but he wants us to be miserable as long as we live on this earth.
Peter Wilkes says, "Guilt feelings that stem from things we have done can only be removed when our actions themselves are dealt with. Dealing with the feelings alone never works because guilt is not just a feeling. We are guilty because we have done wrong. That wrongness is not a feeling - it's a fact."[2] Second Corinthians 7:10 tells us godly sorrow leads to true repentance. God uses guilt to drive us toward Him in utter helplessness because only Jesus can deal with our guilt.
If you still feel guilty, there may be a valid reason. Ask yourself two questions. Are you truly a child of God, having come to Him through the shed blood of Christ alone for forgiveness? If so, are there any unresolved conflicts regarding your abortion which are bringing guilt? Once you settle the account, so to speak, the guilt will be gone.
In her pamphlet entitled, . . . But I Can't Forgive Myself!, Melody Green advises us to ask ourselves if we are being convicted (by the Holy Spirit) or condemned (by Satan). She correctly states that conviction is specific. Your thoughts say, "You have just lied." On the other hand, condemnation is vague. Thoughts such as, "You aren't any good" or "God could never forgive an abortion" fill your mind. If you aren't certain which it is, ask God to clarify the situation - "God, what are you trying to tell me?" Melody Green adds, "If it's the Lord, and if you are open to being corrected, guaranteed He will tell you."[3]
Mary Ann tells how she handles Satan's attacks: "When Satan tries to tell me that the sin of abortion is too terrible to be forgiven or brought out into the open (and the scoundrel still tries at times to induce me to believe that), I [resist] him [in the name of Jesus] and refuse to believe that lie. I am washed clean by the blood of Jesus. Praise Him forever!"
If you have trusted in the shed blood of Christ to forgive your sins, the fact is that God has forgiven you. You are no longer guilty. Live according to the facts, not according to your sometimes inaccurate feelings.
Is there anything else that will help me?
The Bible says you were once alienated from God in your mind by wicked works. God has reconciled you and now holds you holy, unblameable, and irreproachable if you continue in hope and practice of what you know to be true (Colossians 1:21-23). A beautiful portion of Scripture is Colossians 2:8-15. Here we are warned to focus our beliefs and actions in Christ rather than in man because, "In [Christ] all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form." The passage continues to tell us although we were dead in our sins, "[Christ] made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt. . . . He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
Think about this - if you have asked God to forgive you for your abortion, and then go back to God and ask Him to forgive you for the abortion again, God says to you, "My precious child, what abortion?" Hallelujah! We are free!
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About Me
- Cathy Palmer
- Over the years my opinions have changed but this will never change: Jesus Christ, Lord, God and Savior, died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay for my sin.
