What If?

You might even call it the "glory mandate:" we have been placed on this earth to demonstrate the glory, the presence of our Creator. Each of us is unique, special, a magnificent expression of the wonders of God. In Genesis chapter 1, we can find these words:
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

We have been created in the image of God - fearfully and wonderfully made, according to Psalm 139. When we disregard the personhood of an unborn child, I think it shows a warped view of the value of the individual, a viewpoint that has the potential to affect how we treat one another.  We have to stand Biblically against what has been termed a "culture of death," and speak truth about what the Bible says about the sanctity of life.

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I believe that each person, from the moment he or she was conceived, is a precious creation of God, for whom the Lord has wonderful plans. Psalm 139 says this:
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

Fans of the NBA's Golden State Warriors were no doubt holding their breath as the team's undisputed leader, Steph Curry, fell to the court on Wednesday night in Boston.  While it is likely you will see Steph on the floor tonight, one has to wonder about the extent of his injury.

But, if not for one monumental decision over 30 years ago, not only would there possibly not be a Steph Curry on the floor tonight, but he would have never been born, never starred in the NBA, never been a witness for Christ through a major sports and entertainment platform.

The Daily Citizen of Focus on the Family shared the story recently in an article by Focus President Jim Daly, which related:

After having one abortion in high school, Curry’s mother, Sonya, discovered she was pregnant again. Writing in her book, “Fierce Love: A Memoir of Family, Faith, and Purpose,” Sonya tells of standing outside and preparing to go in to abort her baby before the Holy Spirit intervened and she responded.

“God had a plan for that child,” she said.

“There could be no Stephen. If I would have gone through that there would have been no Wardell Stephen Curry II.”

According to CBN.com, Sonya Curry said in a podcast interview:

And just the Spirit interceding at that moment, in a way that I didn't even know at the moment as happening, just spoke to again the purpose, you know, of faith," she said pausing, "And how might I best describe it? It's just, you know, faith that OK, I don't want to make this decision, because that would have been the second time."

She added, "And I don't want to make that decision again, and now I've just got to trust God to move forward with me having this child...I don't know what's going to happen between Dell and I at that point. And I've just got to make this one decision. I've got to make this one right decision." 

Daly went on to say in the Daily Citizen piece:

Abortion not only takes the life of the child, it also deprives the world of a future influenced and impacted by that individual. We reference the tragic and devastating toll of 60 million aborted babies – but what about all the children who would have been born to those children one day in the future? The generational impact is practically incalculable.

Jim Daly muses:

How many future NBA stars have been aborted? How about women and men who might find the cure to cancer or disease? What if a future doctor who might have found the cure to COVID-19 was aborted thirty or forty years ago?

I’m so glad Sonya chose life – and I hope and pray women who learn of her decision and who might be considering an abortion will do the same. Steph’s mother is correct in saying that God had a plan for her son. But the reality is the Lord has a plan for every life – and our hearts break and the world loses out each time that plan is rejected.

Daly wrote:

An outspoken Christian, Curry has not been shy about his Christian faith.

“People should know who I represent and why I am who I am, and that’s because of my Lord and Savior,” he said.

While so many see abortion as a political issue, I think we have to be sensitive and recognize that the decision to choose life comes down, not to a mythical so-called "right," but to a real woman and the unborn child that she is carrying.  We should be devoted to seeing the value of life - which includes those yet unborn.   

Our culture has experienced a heavy cost for adopting the view of cheapening life. When we discuss spiraling crime rates and express concern over mass shootings, we have to consider what is going on inside the heart and mind of the perpetrator - we will find a gross disregard for the life of another, which is a clear violation of God's view of His creation.  

We also recognize that God loves each and every person and has a plan for him or her, predicated on their acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Savior.  That life-transforming decision ushers a person into eternal life and the access to abundant life through obedience to Him.