Reflection #7

This has been an interesting week and have a couple of things to share with you...


A friend brought into work the ultra-sound of her baby a couple of days ago. It was a typical shadowy image, but I was  amazed at what I saw.  The doctor told here that she was eight weeks and four days along, and in that image you could distinguish the head and the shape of the nose clearly in the image, and when the ultra-sound was performed they were able to hear the heart beat.


And yet it is legal for woman continue to go to clinics around the world and end the life of a child that is a cute little peanut (the mom's name for her new baby) with a face and a heart beat. 


I do understand all to well the trauma of an unexpected, unwanted pregnancy, but as I look back now it might have been different a outcome if I had know what I know now. For me, my life has always been laced with a personal relationship with God, but I don't think it takes a religious view to see that sweet little face in that ultra-sound and not know that the "lump of tissue" in that image was a child. 


As I've continued to do research for my blog I stumbled across the attached video of super model Kathy Ireland, and was impressed with what she had to say.
http://vodpod.com/watch/1528667-kathy-ireland-on-abortion

Over the last several weeks I've also been able to deal with the issue of forgiving myself.  As I sat in church a few weeks ago our pastor was speaking about friendship, and during that sermon he talked about forgiving our friends. He made a point of sharing the importance of giving forgiveness to others and in that process to not pick back up  the offence and use it against them after you have granted them forgiveness. 


So with that in mind I had to examine myself and asked myself that if I've accepted God's forgiveness, if I've forgiven myself, then I need to not continue to pick up the offense and keep using against myself in the form of guilt, shame and condemnation. So I've chosen to put down those things and move on.  I will never forget the child I gave back to God, nor the circumstance of my abortion, but I no longer need to beat myself up over it.  


My choice now is to use this experience to help others who face the choice of what to do with an unwanted pregnancy, or woman in my shoes who have experienced abortion and are trying to cope with the emotions that have welled up inside themselves. If you are one of those women, know that I am praying for you, and know I welcome being contacted by you either here on the blog, or in an email.