This weekend, I was blessed to see the beauty of the resiliency of children. Despite the HELL we adults allow to occur to them, they can bounce back and smile, laugh, be silly, show incredible thoughtfulness and selflessness...and be amazing kids.
For four amazing days, I served at Royal Family Kids Camp sponsored by my new home church Thrive Church. The camp's location is kept private so as to protect the kids from anyone looking for them. We got away to a place of seclusion and peace. No phone, no web, so social media.
During these four days, I saw such precious beauty. The kind of beauty Jesus beheld when He instructed the Disciples to allow the children to come to Him. The innocence and purity of heart. The joy. The silly laughter. The beauty. Jesus knew then and God has known since creation...children are the best and we "grown ups" should model them and not the other way around.
But, reflecting at home these last 16 hours or so, I found a sadness in my soul. I found a reason to weep. And, more than just the fact that these foster kids have been through so much pain, confusion, hurt, and abuse in their short lives. That is the motivator to make this near-40-year-old run and be silly and do everything I can to bring joy to this camp. That makes me weep, definitely. But, the new sadness is this.
In America, we would gladly allow these children to have avoided their suffering and challenges by taking their lives in the womb.
And with the preceding statement and what I am about to share below, this blog has been pigeon-holed as "political." And, therein lies the problem. How depraved is our society that the lives of precious little ones-precious gifts directly from the hand of God-can be dismissed as politics?
The tragedy I observe in reflecting on this weekend is that the Pro-Choice crowd would be perfectly okay if these amazing kids had been snuffed out before they were born. Pro-Choicers justify their stance as it is better for kids to be snuffed out before they suffer or struggle or impose a burden on the state and federal governments.
Pro-Choice Christians will defend their views as, "I wouldn't get an abortion myself, but I don't think that I should take away that right from someone else." Literally, no other sin could we take that stance with in our walk with Jesus. "I would never steal a car, but I don't think that I should take that right away from someone else." "I wouldn't kill homeless people on the street, but I don't think that I should take away that right from someone else." "I would never suffocate my elderly parents, but I don't think I should take away that right from someone else." It never works with any other sin...and it doesn't work with this one either.
The truth is I saw SEVEN amazing faces who have been through hell on this earth, but are surviving and are full of the most amazing personalities...all of which could have been destroyed in the name of choice in this country.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. Psalm 139 NLT
How many amazing faces like these walking, talking miracles have we allowed to be erased from existence in the name of "choice" and to prevent the suffering they might endure? How much longer will we, the Body of Christ, stand by and allow our society to slap God across the face, as He knits these precious babies in their mothers' wombs, and tell Him, "We know better."
I am so thankful that the parents, for all their flaws, chose life for these precious ones. But, my heart weeps for the precious ones we will never get to meet because of "choice."
