Celebrating Life

It is God's intent to proliferate the gospel and to advance the Kingdom from generation to
generation. Psalm 78 states:
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

We can consider the legacy of faith that we are leaving for the generations to come.  Each of us has the responsibility to live out the Christian faith, so that others may see it and share it.  Each child who comes into the world is ordained by his or her Creator, blessed with incredible potential to bring honor and glory to Him.  We can love our children in Christ and model the Savior's love, and reflect God's love for those yet unborn.

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We honor our Lord as the author of life, who builds our lives and our families on His strong
foundation, predicated on the sanctity of life. Psalm 127 says:
(1) Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

There is nothing to rejoice about in taking the life of an unborn child; it is an exercise in futility, as some have said, to "shout your abortion."  It is certainly not a cause to celebrate, as misguided actress Alyssa Milano has recently alluded to.  Faithwire states that she "recently celebrated her past abortions, claiming her life would be 'lacking all its great joys' if she hadn’t terminated two of her pregnancies when she was in her early 20s."

How sad!  And, a California pastor offers another view of the sacredness of life.  The article says:

Jarrid Wilson, pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship and founder of the non-profit Anthem of Hope, posted a tweet Wednesday, responding to Milano. In it, he asked people to post pictures of their own children along with the hashtag #greatjoys because, in reality, children are the presence — not absence — of joy.

Wilson is quoted as saying, “Children are our future, and a blessing from God, not a burden that so many people — specifically people who are only focused on their own achievement and goals — make them out to be,” and about Milano, he stated, "Whether she wants to admit it or not, she now has two children in heaven whom she will never experience the joy of parenting.”

But, there are elements of society who are determined to promote women taking the lives of their unborn children.  It is commonplace in the world of politics - and technology.  A recent Christian Post article highlights that...

Earlier this year, Google announced that health organizations that advertise about abortion on the major search engine’s website must have a label indicating whether or not they actually provide abortions.

However, Stephanie Kirchgaessner of The Guardian reported Monday that Google’s policy only appeared to work when the specific term “abortion” was searched by a user.

Other search terms like “free pregnancy test” and “pregnancy symptoms” did not include a disclaimer explaining if the entity provided abortions.

The Post had indicated that the policy was "aimed at preventing ads from pro-life crisis pregnancy centers."  The article states that, "The change came in response to pro-choice activists arguing that Google was providing pro-life crisis pregnancy centers the ability to advertise as if they were abortion providers."  So, Google has been caught in a transparent attempt to inhibit the fine work of these pregnancy centers, who are involved in helping women to make the choice for life.

And, another pro-life snapshot comes from the actress who played the role of former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson in the movie, Unplanned, which is now available on home video.  CBN.com reports that:

Ashley Bratcher, star of the faith-based film “Unplanned,” recently announced the launch of a new scholarship designed specifically for expectant mothers who became unexpectedly pregnant.

The initiative — the Unplanned Movie Scholarship — was created in partnership with Heartbeat International, a Christian association supporting crisis pregnancy centers around the world.

The website for the scholarship states, “While plans may shift when the unexpected happens, it doesn’t mean that dreams need to stop completely,” and adds that the scholarship intends to "offer moms facing unplanned pregnancies educational scholarships so that they can continue pursuing their dreams while raising their babies.”

So here, I've explored a number of recent developments concerning the sanctity of life.  And, many developments, I believe, are occurring.  We can certainly celebrate babies who will have the chance to live as a result of positive action.  While activists and politicians offer platitudes that sound good about the baby being a "choice" or that it's a "woman's decision" whether or not to take the lives of their unborn children, we can stand in affirmation of our Creator and His creation.

We can also consider the all-important question: How can you affirm life?  There are numerous opportunities to be involved in defending unborn children, the most vulnerable among us.

And, as Pastor Wilson demonstrates, we can celebrate the lives of the children with whom God has blessed you.  We love and welcome the presence of children into our households, recognizing that they are blessings from Him.