A Dark Room: My Heart & Abortion
Having held my lifeless stillborn daughter in my arms almost 35 years ago can bring a rising level of emotions to my heart when I consider the current scenario being played out in the SCOTUS Roe v. Wade “ leak” and upcoming ruling.
My heart. Yes, … that’ s the key word in the previous sentence. Years ago, I heard someone say, “The heart of every issue is an issue of the heart.” What gives that principle gravity is the words of the Lord Jesus Christ when He said, For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person (Mark 7:21-23). What Jesus describes here is the fallen condition of our heart.
Described in Jeremiah 17:9, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
The heart, as referred to in the Word of God, is not the vital human organ that pumps blood throughout our bodies; that keeps us going, moving, breathing. The heart sums up all that we are … our emotions, our will, our mind. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us that the heart determines the course of your life (NLT).
The whole of the abortion issue is one of the heart. Man, by his very fallen nature has a heart that is selfish, short-sighted, manipulative, greedy, lazy, hedonistic, irrational, unreasonable, murderous, wicked, covetous, sensual, proud, corrupt, deceitful, faithless, ruthless, confused and much more.
Romans 1 describes the heart that refuses to acknowledge God as “foolish” and “darkened” (1:21).
The world’ s response to abortion, those who perform abortions and those who have an abortion are simply … following their heart. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead (Ecclesiastes 9:3).
Now, I have just described my own heart. All these characteristics dwell in me, too. The only difference … at the age of five, based upon the truths of God’ s Word and by His grace alone, Christ came to live in my heart, took up residency within me, and now I do not live the Christian life, Christ lives His life through me (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; John 14:17-23; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:21; Colossians 1:27).
As a disciple of the Lord Christ Jesus, the worst decision I can make each day and throughout the day is to follow my heart, to go my own way. Man left to himself destroys himself and those around him.
The only way to overcome the battle that rages within me, my heart wanting to have its own way, is to surrender to Christ within me. He is life and has the words of life (John 6:68-69; 14:6; Matthew 11:28-30).
The answer to the abortion issue and the downward spiral of my heart is the gospel, the person of Jesus Christ.
As I think back to those days after the stillbirth of Ashley Marie, I often remember of the dear lady who Denise visited in the hospital three months later who experienced the same. When my wife walked into that room filled with sorrow and pain, she entered the darkness of that dear mom’ s heart when she said, “I just went through the same thing three months ago.” Immediately, Denise was able to share Christ with her.
Because of the condition of my heart, I can empathize with all in this world who are for abortion at any level. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). Each of these need Christ. Each of these need someone to share the message of the gospel with them. Especially, the dear mom who now lives with a broken heart, the painful scars of her decision to have an abortion. For you dear lady, there is forgiveness at the cross of Jesus Christ. In him (Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7).
Today, may we have an opportunity to enter that dark room of a heart filled with sin, sorrow, pain, and brokenness and share the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.
Today, will you turn to the light in Christ alone and be set free from the dark room of your heart?
Dale Cunningham is the pastor of Boones Creek Bible Church in Johnson City, TN. He blogs at From a Pastor’s Heart, we republish his material with permission.
Photo by Monojit Dutta on Unsplash