Gift of a Child

In order to make good decisions, the Lord has promised us incredible resources - because we have been saved, we have the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts to lead us and empower us. We have the Word of God, which instructs us. Isaiah 30 says:
21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.
22 You will also defile the covering of your graven images of silver, And the ornament of your molded images of gold. You will throw them away as an unclean thing; You will say to them, "Get away!"
23 Then He will give the rain for your seed With which you sow the ground, And bread of the increase of the earth; It will be fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed In large pastures.

As God's Word becomes part of us and as we walk in the Spirit, He infuses with His life. We can actually train ourselves to be attentive to Him as He leads us. We can fortify our consciences so that we can know the difference between the right way and the wrong way.  On this day before Thanksgiving, we can be thankful that God does not save us and then leave us to fend for ourselves: He walks with us, sharing His wisdom and illuminating His Word so that our decisions reflect His direction.

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We have choices each day, and our decisions should be consistent with the word of God and affirm life not death, light not darkness, the Spirit of God rather than the spirit of this world. In Deuteronomy 30, we can find these words:
19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."

There is a life-affirming opportunity in a number of states that gives mothers who, for whatever reason, are uncomfortable with raising a child, a way to place her child in a safe place where she knows he or she will be cared for. It's called the Safe Haven Baby Box, and according to The Daily Citizen, the non-profit organization that supervises this effort, "...is on a mission to 'prevent illegal abandonment of newborns by raising awareness, offering a 24-hour hotline for mothers and crisis and offering the Safe Haven Baby Boxes as a last resort option for women who want to maintain complete anonymity.'”

One of the more recent instances in which a baby has been placed in one of these locations is out of the state of New Mexico, according to the article, which relates:

Firefighters in Hobbs, New Mexico saved a newborn baby just months after installing a new “safe haven baby box” at their fire station.

A mother in crisis anonymously surrendered her baby by placing it in the box – a secure, temperature-controlled container with oxygen, LifeNews reports. When the door to the box closes, an alarm in the fire station sounds, alerting the firefighters to the baby’s presence.

After the child’s mother shut the door, Interim Fire Chief Mark Doporto of the Hobbs Fire Department got an alert that a baby had been placed inside.

The firefighters immediately responded and brought the child to a hospital, where the child was examined and deemed healthy.

According to The Daily Citizen, "LifeNews reports the New Mexico Legislature 'passed a bill last year to expand the baby box program after a teenager in Hobbs threw her newborn in a dumpster. She was later sentenced to 16 years in prison.'"

The Daily Citizen notes: 

To date, the organization has received over 9,000 calls to its hotline, has referred over 500 women to pregnancy resource centers, assisted in nine adoption referrals, and has seen over 140 legal Safe Haven surrenders; 36 babies have been surrendered at Safe Haven Baby Boxes.

The Safe Haven Baby Boxes website states: "Founder, Monica Kelsey, started Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Inc. after learning she was abandoned as an infant and after seeing a 'Baby Box' in operation at a church, in Cape Town, South Africa. She has made it her personal mission to educate others on the Safe Haven Law and to do whatever it takes to save the lives of innocent babies from being abandoned."

A few years ago, the founder of the ministry, He Knows Your Name, Linda Znachko, was a guest on The Meeting House.  Her ministry website relates: 

Linda believes we have ALL been qualified by God to promote and protect life. That walking in our identity is foundational to everything else. After generations of a culture of death, we are living in a time where it is critical to value life. When we place value on life we get to the root of all cultural issues.

It notes that, "Linda partners with the organization 'Safe Haven Baby Boxes'" and that she has been involved in "raising awareness and educating others about the Safe Haven Law and the Safe Haven Baby Box (SHBB) program."

The Daily Citizen reminds us: "Each and every human life has infinite worth and value, because each and every person is made in the imago dei – the image and likeness of God." It goes on to say:

For this reason, in the early church, Christians were known for rescuing unwanted babies abandoned by their parents and left to die of exposure.

Today, the Church continues her mission of rescuing babies – born and unborn. Millions of innocent children have been saved through the generosity of Christians funding dedicated pro-life campaigns – like Focus on the Family’s Option Ultrasound Program.

Our nation’s approximately 3,000 pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) saved an estimated 818,131 lives from 2016-2020 alone, with millions saved over the last half-century.

This Thanksgiving season, we can be thankful  that every single life is made in God's image, for the lives that God has given to us, and the new life that we have in Jesus Christ.  He has a plan and purpose for our lives, and as we have seen in move in and around us, we can give Him praise.

We can also be thankful for incredible pro-life work that is occurring in our communities around our nation and around the world.  This type of ministry is rooted in the truth, and we can recognize that compassion and presence of Christ that flows through those who are devoted to saving lives of unborn children and showing compassion to women and their families, letting them know they're not alone, that there is someone who walks beside them as they navigate difficult circumstances. 

In an age in which there is obsession with death, when mental health concerns are causing people to consider taking their lives, when children - inside and outside the womb - are being viewed as expendable, we can take time during this season and throughout the year to value those around us and to radiate the hope of Jesus.