Before Claiming "Rights" and "Choice" Consider This

Hardest time in my life, hands down: Mid-twenties. Not because I had made terrible life choices. By 26 I had bought a house, couldn't have picked a better guy to be married to, had a fun, well-paid job, traveled, graduated from college and was surrounded by an abundance of friends and family. I had nothing but hope for a beautiful future. I silently felt proud of my decent choices because life you could say, mirrored the so-called American dream. 

Until, I suddenly found myself in a position where I did not have a choice.

I was seven weeks along and walked into my job looking for answers. Reasons why I was experiencing scary, not-good pregnancy symptoms, red flags that potentially meant I was no longer with child. Ironically, the woman I worked for had recently finished a masters in midwifery. On the verge of losing composure, I asked her several questions. What I really wanted to do was scream and cry and beg as if she held the answers I was looking for: "Please just tell me everything is ok and that my baby will live and I will one day hold this person." Her response: "everything is pretty much always fine."

Running through my mind was a new kind of fear. I already had a world's worth of love and hope for this person and felt determined to know them. I was committed to being the best mom.  I had already gotten excited about introducing this little person to Labrador retrievers and roller-coasters and cookie dough ice-cream. I imagined myself telling the baby all about their dad and how he was the best person I ever met. How can you so badly want so much good for someone you've never even locked eyes with?

What scared me most was deep down I knew:  This particular choice was not mine.

The ultrasound revealed my worst fears. There was no heartbeat. The on-call doctor thought they saw something though and wanted to wait and see if I "just got the math wrong." I spent a week in agony and worry. In all honesty, I did not spend a lot of time praying. I knew sometimes prayers don't get answered in the way we would've hoped. And If I got my way, the baby would have walked the earth beside me. Oh what I would have done to get to choose. For the choice to be mine.

Society throws around a lot of these terms carelessly. Choice, rights, justice, freedom. If you don't stand for those things, well you are a moral monster. If you aren't pro-choice, you're essentially anti-women. If you are pro-life you are just one of those religious nuts who care nothing for the poor, society or women.

But let's set this aside for a minute and let us first consider where do these rights come from? 

Or furthermore, for clarity, what gives human beings value? Is it our sculpted abs? Our gender or race? Is it our contribution to society? Our bank accounts? Our Instagram followers? The 7 inch voyage down the birth canal? Whether or not someone wants us?

Or is it because there is a God who did not need us but made the choice to bring us into existence and give us life? And bestow on each human the freedom to choose to know and love Him in return? 

Is it because we are made in His image and He has imbued us with value?

Before claiming you know about rights and choice, consider first what you believe about God. 

Next you might want to consider this question: Does He see all and know all? Should He be the one to make the choice regarding life and death and existence? And if you don't have your life what do you have?

I recognize some readers may question God's existence. Fair enough.

But let's just land there for a moment. The implications that follow from that are really this...we humans are all just moist robots, without value, rights and our thoughts and "choices" are simply byproducts of the chemicals swirling around in our brains.  If that is the case, then this life doesn't matter, our free will is a phantom and there is no meaning to life and so what a woman deserves or chooses is irrelevant and non-existent. Because without God, she and you and I are just a clump of cells ourselves. 

Without God, Hitler did not make bad choices and Mother Theresa did not make good choices. It would all be meaningless.

You need God to come to the logical conclusion that women even have rights. 

Some readers perhaps may think there could be a Deity but may question if He's good. Well if that's you let me just suggest starting with Jesus of Nazareth. If you are a person who is seeking truth then would it not make sense to start with the man who has hands down had the most impact on the earth? Who supposedly conquered death?

If you take away anything from this post know this... wherever you land on the choice and rights debate, or if you've had an abortion or fought for abortion or performed an abortion...

God sees you, He loves you...He wants all to turn to Him.*

Knowing Him is about relationship and forgiveness and knowing true good and true love. We were made for relationship. I personally need Jesus as much as any human. Because I make evil choices every dang day. Praise God for the choices that He has made and the love that is free for us to receive. This choice is your's folks. The choice to know Him, to trust Him, to seek Him.

 If I've learned anything from not having a choice it's that good wins and God can always bring good out of the bad. I pray the same thing for you that I prayed after each one of my miscarriages: Psalm 27:13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

 I surely have.

These 4 are such a gift. Not truly mine but His. And they would not be here if I had had the choice. 

Romans 3:23 For all fall short of the Glory of God.

Romans 8:1 For there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

*2Peter 3:9 He desires all to come to Him.

Ok so I'm going to argue that because there's all the arguing, that no one intuitively really believes that people are simply molecular machines. DM me for more evidence for God's existence and the Bible. I would LOVE to discuss His goodness and the beauty of Historical Christianity. God bless.