I am Pro-Baby

I've been thinking a lot about babies lately. We had a man and his family at our church Sunday.  Our church supports them.  They live in Israel and have a ministry called "A Future and A Hope."  Some of the things they do are similar to what would take place in one of our Pregnancy Resource Centers.  We bought them an ultrasound machine and Marvin, the man who heads up this ministry, said that all but one of the mothers that have had an ultrasound, and who have heard the heartbeat of their child inside them, chose life.  In Israel, abortion is epidemic.  Per capita, they do the equivalent of about three times the abortions that the United States does.  What are some reasons people, or a woman, would give for having an abortion?

• Cost of having a child
• Bad marriage or abuse resulting in pregnancy
• Inconvenience
• Career
• Personal plans (travel, lifestyle hampered)
• More "things" for the child(ren) (they already have)
• Saving from embarrassment
• Unwillingness to raise a child
• Not enough space
• Husband/boyfriend or they themselves don't want children
• They already have too many children
• Concern over their or the baby's health
• Think they're too young
• Think they're too old.

(My understanding is that health issues are less and less a reason, and inconvenience issues are more and more the reason.)

What's God's view of children?  God loves life.  God is all about LIFE!  He is the Author of Life.  God loves children.  He says they're a gift from Him.  He says happiness is having a quiver full of them.  A quiver holds arrows for fighting in a battle.  In a battle would you want one or two arrows, no matter how good they were?  God said, "Be fruitful and multiply."  What are some reasons people choose not to have any (more) children? Cost of having a child, inconvenience, career, personal plans (travel, lifestyle hampered, more "things" for the child(ren) they already have), unwillingness to raise a child, not enough space, husband/boyfriend or they themselves don't want any (more) children, concern over their or the baby's health.  Think they're too old.

The reasons that people choose not to have any more children are often the same reasons that people have an abortion.

I've been thinking...
Why do you do things the way you do? The way you live...the choices you make...the way you raise your children...how many children you have...

Do you know?

If it's not based on--because of--God's Word, what is the difference between me, and the person who's not a Christian?

When your children are older, they'll ask you--but maybe not in words--Why Should I?  If your answer isn't backed up by Scripture and pointing them to what God says in His Word--they'll go the easier way. But if your answer isn't the Bible, what difference does it make?  If your answer isn't the Bible, why does it matter at all what they do? Or what you do?

So many people, and Christians as well, just do what everybody else is doing.  "The prevailing thought is" _____.  So, we'll do _____.  "All the Christians I know are doing it. So I'll do it, too."  Not even looking in the Bible. Not evaluating.  We shouldn't toss out everything. But we should reevaluate sometimes, to make sure the reasons we're doing what we're doing are Biblical.  The Jewish people, those who have not accepted Jesus as God and their Messiah, are following tradition.  Jesus said, "You've heard it said...but I say."  The oral traditions aren't God's Word. We must be careful who and what we're following.  We have to know what God thinks, and it has to be the written Word of God we're basing our decisions on. When it comes to babies, and life, it's actually too important to be in our hands.  Let God decide. And just receive gratefully all the gifts He decides to give.