“How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?”
Psalms 13:2
It is hard day after day, year after year, to watch 400 or so babies die each week in abortions… in Charlotte alone. It seems so few people care, so few are listening, and this horrific sin is rationalized and called good.
This past week, a woman who chose to abort was in contact with me. She said she had prayed about her decision, but she did not regret her decision… she regretted disappointing me. Then she said after the abortion she remembered how she had prayed beforehand, and that “God has kept me extremely grateful for that.”
I cannot stop thinking about that with great despair. People who claim to love and follow Jesus echo this thought repeatedly at the abortion center. They pray for forgiveness or even God’s permission BEFORE aborting. To be clear, prayer is good, but to pray for permission or a pass to disregard what God clearly forbids in His Word and then be comforted by that prayer is not of God.
My heart breaks some days more than others. Mondays are hardest because a whole week of carnage and destruction lies before me. I know ultimately God will end all sin and there will be severe consequence to those who refuse to acknowledge and believe in Him, trusting Him despite all the evil temptations in this world. The eternal repercussion of unrepentant hearts grieves my soul. However, I know that my Redeemer lives, and in my flesh, I shall see God… maybe most clearly in those places of deepest darkness. That is what gives me hope today as I head to the sidewalk.
Last week, in one day we saw eight babies saved at Charlotte abortion centers. As the couples left, we received joyous smiles, waves, and thumbs up when we asked if they had chosen life. Some took our literature before being scurried away and told not to trust us by the opposition. The women looked shell-shocked, but relieved. All of them heard about our help website. A young man at Planned Parenthood had driven across several states to successfully stop his girlfriend from taking the life of their unborn baby. We all rejoiced. That day was an emotional high for our teams.
Two days later, I learned of the abortion of the woman I spoke about in the opening of this story. Another woman who was one that had been counted among those eight “saves” returned to the abortion center and had a surgical abortion. Both of these women were devastated following that terrible act. So was I. So many glorious highs and devastating lows exist side by side in sidewalk outreach ministry.
I sent healing resources to both the women who had aborted. One cut off contact. The other allowed me to share the Gospel with her and committed her life to Jesus. She agreed her excuses were not true confession or repentance before God. She pledged a life of trust and faith in Him moving forward. God’s light shines brightest in the deepest darkness.
However, it is still hard.
Sidewalk Outreach is one of the most challenging and most rewarding areas of ministry. The presence of believers at abortion centers can mean the difference between life and death. If God is stirring your heart, we encourage you to step out in faith and get involved. And if you are not able to serve on the sidewalk, would you stand with those on the frontlines through prayer and financial support so the light of Christ can continue to shine in the darkest places.