When I first started to think about running you would not believe some of the feedback I received from fellow believers. All I can say is that I received some very negative feedback. I don't think that was their intent, most of it was concern that I was running for the right reason. Now, I am reminded that us as Christians are sometimes harder on own own brothers and sisters than on others. It can be very discouraging. While it is mostly well meant, either the delivery is bad or it is taken the wrong way. This is probably the number one discouragement to new Christians. We think we are not allowed to have an opinion that disagrees with others or the church.
When I first started repenting and was seeking to be baptized my mother was not sure if I was ready. She was concerned if I was really giving Christ my all and giving up anything that might distract me or take me away from my relationship with Him. I did get baptized. I won't say I haven't made mistakes since then because that would be a lie. What I do know is that when I sought Christ I was afraid for my souls eternal destination. I also knew that the church I attended was Biblically sound and that there were a bunch of God fearing and Jesus loving members. I am grateful to still be part of such a heritage. At the time, I knew the statement of faith of the church. I also knew I wasn't sure I could agree with all of it but I had visited and researched other denominations and none measured up to the one I grew up with.
So, when asked I said I supported the statement of faith, and I did. I didn't want anything about the church to change and I figured the things I wasn't sure about was just part of my spiritual ignorance. I relied upon the scripture that obedience was better than sacrifice. I knew some of the history of our faith and how it was forged so that gave me hope that it was more of me not understanding it all. I was right. As I lived, learned, and studied the Bible more the more I draw closer to God in my spiritual walk the more I agree with my church's statement of faith. The thought is scary to me now, I really should have talked with someone to learn and grow before being baptized. Thankfully, God was faithful. Probably because of the prayers of my parents.
Let me give you an example. When I was first a Christian I was unashamedly pro-choice. Shocker now - I know. It just seemed logical to me that it was the right way. It really boiled down to the fact that I didn't want to be seen as an extremist. This was a way for me to be in the middle of the road and non-confrontational.
I wasn't hit over the head by a pro-lifer trying to convince me I was wrong. What happened is one day I thought, if this is the "middle-of-the-road" or non-confrontational choice, then what is the really bad choice? Pro-death? When I thought the word "Pro-death" I could instantly hear my conscience tell me that even Pro-Choice could lead to death. It was then I discovered that Pro-Choice was a lie. How can I just leave that type of decision up to the mother? God says he knows us before we are formed in our mothers womb. If that is true (and it is!) than the circumstances around the pregnancy really does not matter. Why let one tragedy lead to another? There really is something about the sanctity of life and all babies, every last one of them, are precious in the eyes of the Father.
So, yes, I have grown as a Christian and as I have drawn closer to God He has refined me and made me more like Him. However, I know there are some Christians out there who think that if you claim to be a Christian and are Pro-Choice you are going to Hell. This is what drives me nuts. Instead of all us trying to draw closer to God we like to point out the fallacies we see in other people. I am reminded of scripture about seeing a spec in someones else's eye but yet having a log in my own eye. We all need room to be refined and grow in our faith. We need to learn to build each other up and help each other with our walk of faith.
Sometimes this whole mentality can carry over to organizations that are faith-based. We have to remember that everyone in the organization is human and may not always carry our spiritual wisdom or understanding (or may be more spiritual wise than us). Does this make them any less of a Christian or Christian organization? No.
As I have grown in my Christian faith, I also feel convicted not only to support our Church's ministries and missionaries, but also ones in our local community. Some people have the pleasure of being able to have access to help the church's ministries because they are local to them. In my denomination I do not have that pleasure where I live. When I look out and wonder why more people in our community are unfamiliar with our denomination. I think it is because we regularly only supporting things that have our denominations name in front of it. While this is a wise as we are supposed to give preferential treatment to our own body of believers first, it really puts us out of touch with the needs of the community. I know there can be and should be room for both.
When I was first engaged way back when my future wife and I discussed adopting. We had said that we would like to someday. The problem is "someday" never comes. It was just an option that we were both open to. We really didn't seem to have any problems having kids until we "tried" for number 3. We didn't try for our first or second.
A year after our first miscarriage, which was many moons after me becoming pro-life, that voice in my head known as my conscience was again talking to me about being pro-life. It was like, here you are all pro-life in word but what have you really done to help? I was trying to defend myself by saying that I sent money to the right-to-life organization. Then it hit me. All that does is try to "stop" abortion. If the people truly can't take care of the baby for one reason or another then they end up in foster care or orphanages.
To make a real long story shorter, we ended up adopting number 3. Even after we had become pregnant after deciding to adopt we still moved forward with our adoption. Good thing too because that ended up in a miscarriage as well. Funny things go through your head when you struggle to have children. You seriously wonder if God is trying to punish you for one reason or another. However, I have learned that it is sometime through the difficult adversities of life that we grow in our relationship and understanding of God the most.
Adopting really opens ones eyes to being pro-life and what all that entails. You find out that the child you adopted can be in every way normal but will still have fears and feelings of being rejected. Their whole mental make-up is different and sometimes, if I am being honest with myself, it can be difficult and overwhelming to deal with on a day to day basis. Sometimes adoptive parents just need a breather or another sane person/couple to talk to.
Still, with all of this I never thought of any of the other aspects or circumstances of being pro-life. Here is what I have learned:
1. There are people who do choose life, give their child up for adoption, or let their parents or grand parents raise their child. They need support because they sometime wonder if the made the best decision or not. Sometime their children come back and want to know their circumstances. Sometime the circumstances aren't pretty.
2. Sometime people do no choose life. Do we throw them to the curb? Of course not, they need support as well. Our decision to love and support someone should not be decisive on whether we think they made the right decision or not. They need help too.
3. The people who end up in this circumstance in life do not usually come from family histories that are like mine. They do not know what it means to be or how to be a mother or father. They need support. Some of them do not even know how to care for a child because they have never been part of a supportive family. Some of them do not even know the basics of cooking or nutrition.
4. What are we doing to help the people, like our youth, to make better choices in their life so they can reduce the chances of ending up in these situations? Now come on, it's Christmas and all - don't judge too harshly, even Mary and Joseph weren't married yet when Mary was pregnant with Jesus. Can you imagine how that "appeared".
I am sure there are tons of more circumstances even though I have tried to cover them all. Yes, I personally know some people in some of these circumstances. It is very difficult to find support for these people. It was actually after I made a re-acquaintance of someone I had known in my past that lives far far away that I tried to find some counseling for that really opened my eyes to the needs around our community.
It also led me to a wonderful organization near by called RETA. It stands for Reason Enough To Act. Somehow, God had put the same thoughts on the hearts of others long before I was around and they went out on faith and started their support services. Here is a list of services they offer:
- Abortion Recovery Support – Healing from the effects of abortion
- Earn While You Learn – Parenting education and material assistance
- Grandparent Support – For grandparents of teenage pregnancies
- Men’s Coaching – Encouraging men to be responsible fathers and husbands
- Mother’s Club – Weekly support group for moms. (Preschool childcare provided)
- Pregnancy Help Services – Free and confidential pregnancy tests
- XES: Abstinence Education – A different view. Abstinence education
I know, what about support for mothers who have given up their baby for adoption? The sad truth is the percentage of people who choose life is not that high. This is why I am running for RETA!
The people at RETA know that the best tool for people choosing life is for the mother to have an ultrasound. They have a faith filled goal of being trained for and purchasing a mobile ultrasound RV because research has shown mothers who have had an ultrasound are more likely to choose life.
As we sit back after Christmas and thank God for our families and the times we have spent with them I can only hope that we can all remember the true meaning of Christmas. Why did God send Jesus? To have a personal relationship with us. Relationships are what really matter. With Christ, with church, with family, with friends, and with our neighbors.
I can vouch for the mission and people at RETA. I volunteer there, I donate there. I see first hand the good work they do. They are kindred spirit to me and I always leave wishing I could do more to help. So I have decided to run for RETA. On May 10th, Lord willing, I will run a 25k race at the Fifth Third River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, MI. I am hoping to raise $100 for every kilometer I run for a total of $2,500. (Come on people, I am still at $0 raised so far.)
I know there are many places to donate money to this time of year, but if you still have room to donate or are looking for someplace to donate to I am asking you to prayerfully consider making a donation to RETA. You can do it on my online raceraiser fundraising page here, or make a check out to RETA and mail it to 300 W High Street, Elkhart, IN 46516. If your in a hurry for year end tax-deductible donations you can also make a donation online through PayPal (click the donate button).
Thank you!
Otto
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