The Big Picture

In a democratic society, elections come and elections go, but this US presidential election campaign will go down in history as one of the most exciting and electrifying the world has ever seen. As if an African American male and a white female vying for the democratic party's nomination wasn't enough, the staid Republican party went and nominated a female as their candidate's running mate. The political mercury could not possibly get hotter. However, the rhetoric from the Republican camp remains the same. Vote the candidate who says he is against abortion and homosexuality, while that of their opponent also remains the same: "I support a woman's right to choose."

Let me state here and now, that as a Christian I oppose abortion and homosexuality because the word of God says they are wrong. The word 'abortion' is not in the Bible, but it does call taking a life murder. Before I became a Christian, I contemplated abortion twice. Now that I look back on it, I feel ashamed for having thought about it, and I thank the Holy Spirit for keeping me from making a very grave mistake. Because if I had done it the first time I would have gotten rid of my only daughter, and I can't picture what my life would be like without her. The second occasion I would have destroyed my youngest son, with whom I have a special bond.

My college education (which took place after I had my children) also helped to convince me that life begins at conception, and to destroy a life, well, it is as the Bible says - murder. Before a woman realizes she is pregnant, the baby's heart is already formed-and beating! The first organ to be formed is the heart. In that blob of flesh is a beating heart! Then came my religious education that showed me, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee ..." (Jeremiah 1: 5). And again, "Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them" (Psalm 139: 16).

But can I tell this to a pregnant teenage girl, scared out of her wits and pressured by her boyfriend and friends to "get rid of it"? Or, an unmarried mother of three or four, on welfare, who gets no help from the children's father, and finds herself pregnant with her fourth or fifth child? Or, the woman climbing the corporate ladder, who thinks now is not the right time to have a baby? Oh, I know there are other reasons women have abortions and to us they may seem frivolous, but the fact is, to the woman, an abortion may seem like the only answer. The woman, the teenager, who doesn't know God, thinks she is all on her own and has no one to turn to. But, my dear sister, you are not alone. God is with you, whether you know Him or not. He loves you, whether you love Him or not. He said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5).

My new perspective of abortion came about as a result of being born again. The Bible says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new" (II Corinthians 5:17). Being in Christ helps us see things in a new light. We begin to see the big picture. We come to realize that it's not so much what we want, but what God wants for us. We come to view that baby not as a threat to our security, peace of mind or whatever, but as a precious gift from God, and as His gift, He will help us love it and take care of it. He is there with us in this predicament, and the next, and the next.

Speak the truth

As the election campaign heats up, political commentators and the public in general are watching every move and listening to every word that comes from the lips of the political candidates. This week there was a bit of a furor as Senator Barack Obama spoke some things which his opponents did not hesitate to brand as "demeaning" and "elitist" among others. This brought to mind some of the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ which many times inflamed the ire of his listeners, chief of whom were the religious leaders of His day.

Listen to some of Jesus' words: "... Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye" (Luke 6:42). "Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?" (Matthew 23:17) and "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness" (v27).

Strong words indeed. But Jesus was not running for office. He was not trying to win the popular vote. He had simply come to "seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). He didn't care whether they liked Him or not. But He did care that they would mend their ways and seek after God with their whole hearts, and if using strong language would help them do that, then that's what He would do.

The Bible tells us that even some of Jesus' disciples left Him after they heard His words. And those who had the power to do so eventually brought charges against Jesus and had Him crucified. But many were convicted by His words, and continue to be convicted, and are saved.

As Christians we are called to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, and even though we may not want to hurt people's feelings, we must speak "the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). We cannot sugar-coat the truth or compromise the word of God in our day to day interaction with others. Even Paul asked the question, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"(Galatians 4:16).

Let us not be as politicians who strive to say the right thing in order to be popular, but rather let us witness truthfully, and by so doing we will save others from the fires of hell. God bless.