“After 52 days in jail…I cried out to God!” These were some of the first words out of the mouth of the very young, pregnant girl I was able to spend the day with on Tuesday at “A Place for Us.” As I sat in the kitchen with 3 pregnant young women who had lost their way in life, it was so encouraging to me to know that they all had become Christians. How encouraging as well to hear that 2 of the 3 had contemplated abortion and decided against it. One shared the pain of previous abortions, but the comfort and forgiveness she has felt from a growing relationship with Christ.
As I traveled to speak at the annual fund raising dinner for A Place for Us, I was excited to spend the day with residents and staff and tour the ministry home. The best part of my day was getting to have some quality, relaxed time and one-on-one time with the girls who have found a temporary home to support, care, teach and love on them during this time in their lives. The mission of this ministry is “to minister to the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of girls facing crisis situations.”
As I attempted to get to know the young women, who I could tell were sizing me up to see if I was sincere and could be trusted, I sat there and silently prayed that God would quickly help the girls feel loved and care about by me, a complete stranger. HE was faithful…one of the girls shared her heart with me and as she walked out of the kitchen she said…”I have never shared what I told you with anyone.”……WOW…I can’t share what she said but I can tell you….it penetrated my heart in a way that has never happened before.
I will never forget her and I will always pray for her. The pain, the heartache….the complete devastation in such a young life…who was now carrying a new life inside of her…..I am eternally grateful that we had in common a God who is bigger than all that she has faced and will face in life, all three of them for that matter. No matter where I go or where they go, I can pray for them and know that God hears my prayers and has His hands and eyes are on them and their unborn children.
From man’s perspective these unborn children were also “unplanned,” but Psalm 139 reminds us that God knows each one from the beginning. Verses 13-16 express it beautifully, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
My challenge for you, even if you are not called to do the things I am called to do, is to ask God to open your heart to new things, to people who are in “dire circumstances that are bigger than you or your control”. I saw a quote recently that really hit home. “You have never really lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”
There are so many people who just need to feel loved, listened to, and cared about. I can honestly say….as I drove to my next destination late that night….I was consumed with thoughts and prayers for those girls, their futures and their unborn children….for God to hover over them….and be very real and close to them, knowing that at least one of them has a storm to walk through and not around…she was gripped by fear. She said so herself.
I know that fear is nothing but Satan…attacking and seeking to devour. If you have any space in your prayer time for these 3 unnamed, young mothers-to-be, please pray for protection, provision, and comfort…and for the “chains of fear” to be destroyed.
It is my belief that if we don’t spend our lives with the intention of making someone else’s life better, then we have truly missed out on life. No matter who we are or what we have. Make today count….invest in the lives and well-being of others. It may “stab” your heart….but I promise….you will survive and sometimes that stab in the heart…makes you truly FEEL ALIVE!