Even When I Don't See It...

There's a story beyond the story - we have to recognize that what we observe with our physical senses or comprehend with our human minds does not show us everything that God might be doing. In 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, we can read this:
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The Bible talks about being "spiritually-minded." It also refers to having our senses trained to discern between good and evil. There is so much going on around us about which we are not even aware. But, we can trust a God who is working for our good, a God who walks with us, who guides us by His Spirit, and empowers us to do His will.  We don't see the complete story, but we can place our trust into the hands of the one who does.

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We can become sensitized to how God is working in and through us, and we have to look beyond our own desires and ambitions and pay attention to what He is desiring to do. Philippians chapter 2 says:
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

It's not every day that you might see a story at The Washington Post that features a headline like this: "Her failed abortion attempts helped answer another woman’s prayers." And, one might wonder what the agenda behind this heartwarming story might be. 

But, as a story published at LifeNews.com related, "In a rare article, the usually pro-abortion Washington Post featured the story of a young woman whose failed, consecutive abortion attempts ended up leading to a story of birth, adoption and redemption."  The story was written by Joshua Mercer and originally published at the Catholic Vote website, and summarized the lengthy article:

Evelyn, a young woman of Native American and Black ancestry, and adoptee herself, found out in 2022 that she was pregnant after casual sex with a man she met via the internet.

Deciding to keep the secret away from her parents -both military veterans in their 70s living in San Antonio-, Evelyn found out at a San Antonio abortion facility that her pregnancy was a few days past the six weeks limit established by Texas laws.

She then decided to drive to Oklahoma as the second step in a series of failed abortion attempts that would lead her to Whiteman, an African American single woman and successful professional that was at that same time looking to adopt a baby.

When in Oklahoma, Evelyn, now perhaps as much as 10 weeks pregnant, made two unsuccessful attempts to take the life of her child through chemical abortion.  Then, a few weeks later, funded by two "abortion organizations," she traveled to New Mexico, where she was not allowed to have an abortion because she was too far into her pregnancy. 

Evelyn gave birth to a baby girl; the Washington Post article said:

“She had tried for months not to have the child she was silently cradling. And she says she quickly discovered she was in love. She took selfie videos, with playful social media filters, holding her daughter. Her photo album quickly filled with videos of Evelyn bottle-feeding, learning to swaddle and admiring the baby’s fussy sounds.”

Meanwhile, a lady in Houston named Carolyn had been struggling to have a child - she and Evelyn talked through a Zoom call arranged by an adoption agency. They "...talked of spirituality, faith and the importance of family time,” according to the Post.

The article appearing on the Life News website notes:

Since then, the Post explains, “the clinic in San Antonio she initially went to for an abortion closed, and the Oklahoma clinic that gave her medication abortion pills relocated to Illinois;” while Evelyn enrolled in community college, where she has been passing all her classes with straight A’s.

According to the post, now she “goes to the gym four days per week, attends a midweek Bible study meeting on campus and is looking for a criminal justice internship.”

She has also visited her biological daughter for the first time and felt relieved at finding that little Olivia was happy and well taken care of. 

What's interesting is that the reporter, Amber Ferguson, actually may have missed the bigger point of her own story. She tweeted out:

I spent a year reporting and exploring the journey of the birth mom, Evelyn, and the adoptive mom, Carolyn Whiteman. I spent hours on the phone with each of them, called adoption agencies, and spoke to experts on abortion rights.

She added:

Evelyn still believes in abortion rights and hopes telling her story publicly will help other women.

This story is a snapshot of what happens when a woman can neither have an abortion because of state law nor parent her child.

So, is adoption a bad thing?  Absolutely not.  And, the story seems to have captured that. 

The Post headline said that Evelyn's child was an "answer to prayer" for Carolyn.  I don't know where Evelyn or Carolyn might have been spiritually, but I think there is a lesson here for us.  I have to think of the phrase in the song, Waymaker: "Even when I don't see it, You're working."  Evelyn had no idea - she was rushing headlong into having an abortion. But, we can recognize that in our lives God has a plan - Evelyn's plan didn't come to fruition, but her apparent inability to take Olivia's life worked out for the good of everyone.  Fortunately, the Washington Post unwittingly told a heartwarming story of how the six-week abortion ban in Texas worked. 

I think we also have to open our eyes to what God might be saying to us.  Evelyn was determined to have an abortion - but in this case, that did not occur - thank God!  You know, we can sometimes rush headlong into obtaining what we want, what's convenient for us, and miss what He has in store for us.  We might miss the warning signs He is providing because we are pursuing our own selfish desires. 

I believe that the Lord is using the efforts of brave and committed lawmakers to protect the right to life. It is resulting in women considering other choices, such as adoption.  It presents a great opportunity for pro-life ministries to reach out to women in desperate circumstances and share with them the love of Jesus.