Shouting Life

We can rejoice in God our Creator, who made us in His image, the One who has incredible intentions for our lives. Psalm 139 relates to us:
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.

So, be thankful that you are a creation of God, made in His image - and He desires for every person to come into a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He gives us the capacity to fulfill His intents and purposes.  And, on this day when we celebrate the sanctity of life, we can remember that it is not His intention that pre-born children should lose their lives even before they are born; we are not God - He alone is the Creator, and we as a culture and a Church should recognize His supremacy.

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We can remember that God is the author of life, and our lives are in His hands - the prophet Jeremiah had this truth reinforced for him in chapter 1 of the book that bears his name; it says:
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
6 Then said I: "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth."
7 But the Lord said to me: "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.

It is the day of the March for Life in Washington, which has coincided with the 1973 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade, which did not reach its 50th anniversary.  And, I wanted to share a pro-life story that has gained quite a bit of coverage - her story has even made the Billboard magazine website, on which the sub-headline reads: 

"Do you ever get over it? Never. It is something that you will live with for the rest of your life," the singer said of her abortion experiences.

An interview with singer Kaya Jones on a Students for Life podcast has gone viral, according to a CBN.com story, which noted that her former group "sold more than 15 million albums and 40 million singles, but Jones sums up her experience as simply 'selling a lie.'"

She related:

"When you are doing things that are really incorrect and your body is up for grabs, this is where we have to take a hard look at ourselves and for me, I had to take a hard look at myself when I had two young fans in the audience looking at me," she explained.

This occurred when she was "going through an abortion." She said: "Nothing in that moment was saying 'caution, this is a lie'. Nothing was saying that and I was a lie in that moment," she added. "I was tainted, I was destructive, I was destroyed, I was completely enchained and in bondage to the devil...I was not living in my purpose."  She described herself as an "owned commodity."

That was her apparently her second abortion; her first came when she was a teenager, which desensitized her to the act.  Her third came after a rape - she wanted to give birth to the baby, but she believes that "stress" and "complications" won out. 

Kaya Jones believes that the Holy Spirit has led her to speak out about her abortion experiences - and she is also pointing to Jesus Christ as her source of true forgiveness, saying: "It is very painful; there is a lot of anger, there is a lot of frustration, there's a lot of lack of knowledge, there's a lot of regret," adding, "Nothing can make that go away other than God Himself when you lay it at His feet and ask for salvation on these issues."  She also posted these words on Instagram: "Give the pain over to Jesus. He will heal the broken pieces. It's time all men and women lay it down at His feet. He has forgiven you. Now forgive yourself."

Jones has made a foray into Christian music, making a guest appearance on a song called, Let It Be Love, on the Unexpected album by Jason Crabb.

Kaya Jones is certainly not taking the standard Hollywood path - in fact, the CBN story had noted that Jones had tweeted about Hollywood's promotion of abortion.  But, in an age in which women are being encouraged to "shout" their abortions, Jones is shouting out a different message, and it seems to be resonating.

The fact of the matter is that abortion kills children.  You can also say that abortion harms women.

But, there is something else I want to communicate - there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ.  Kaya Jones has experienced it; many women who have had abortions have become right with God by confessing their sin and allowing Him to work in their hearts.  And, there are places you can go to find help: pregnancy resource centers who offer post-abortion counseling and support groups. Family Research Council has a resource available called, How to Find Healing After Abortion. 

Each of us can be purveyors of truth - about life, about healing, about forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Motivated by the love of Jesus, we can accurately communicate that truth.