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Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage? His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.
He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm. We too are never alone. Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.  Does total dependence equal zero choice? That is what Dr. Willie Parker would have you believe. In his statement during an interview with Esquire magazine entitled “The Abortion Ministry of Dr. Willie Parker,” Dr. Parker posed the question “that while it [the unborn child] is a life, is it a person? Not by the standards of the law. Is it viable outside the womb? It is not. So this piece of life—remember, sperm is alive, eggs are alive, it’s all life—is still totally dependent on a woman. And that dependence puts it in the domain of her choice. That’s what I embrace.” While his words are not surprising considering he is an OB/GYN who specializes in abortions, his statement of faith is. Dr. Parker says he is a Christian and believes this is what he was called to do following his reading a sermon by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the subject of the Good Samaritan. He said he realized that if he were to show compassion he would have “to act on behalf of those women”. He believes that God tells him to “help another human being in their time of need”; however, in order to help these women he must neglect the life inside them. Dr. Parker summed up his reasons for doing abortion this way, “We who provide abortions do so because our patients need us, and that’s what we are supposed to do: respond to our patients’ needs. It is the deepest level of love that you can have for another person, that you can have compassion for their suffering and you can act to relieve it. That, simply put, is why I provide abortion care.” These words reveal a man who seems to genuinely care for these women; however, another life must suffer in order for this to happen. Though Dr. Parker believes he is doing what is right, it is sad to see how calloused he is towards an innocent life just because it is dependent upon its mother. To devalue a human life simply because it is dependent on another is poor reasoning. Above all others, Christians should understand that dependence is not a bad thing. Believers are to rely on God to meet their needs and to guide them through life. It is not a sign of weakness to depend upon God but rather shows a surrendered and trusting heart. Many people in our world today view dependence as an excuse to remove a life simply because they are in need of help. We fight for the right to life before birth because it is the foundation for the rights of those already born whether they be toddler, adolescent or senior citizen. What Dr. Parker fails to realize is his belief of dependence on another putting them in the domain of another’s choice, can be applied to those with a detrimental disability and the elderly. What if a child decided they didn’t want their parents to live anymore simply because they were a bother? What if a husband or wife no longer wanted to care for their spouse as was the case in 2005 with Terri Schiavo? Since these individuals are now the legal guardian over parent or spouse they have the right to end their life. Often those who are fighting against the rights of those inside the womb unknowingly are preparing the way for the rights of those outside the womb to be stripped as well. Would you join me in praying for Dr. Parker, for God to penetrate his mind with the truth. To be dependent on another is not a lack of freedom to choose, but great responsibility on those to whom the care falls. Also would you consider supporting your local Pregnancy Resource Center's? They are on the front lines fighting for the rights of the born and unborn. Here is testimony of a young girl who attended Hyles-Anderson College. It was published in their magazine back in July of 2005 and written by Frieda Cowling.
In the Summer of 2004, Nadia Pakharenko traveled with my husband and me with the Songs of Praise, a summer tour group from the Hyles-Anderson College. Each time I heard Nadia's testimony, I was reminded of the wonderful privilege I have of living in America where our religious freedom was bought with the blood of those who were and are willing to fight to preserve our freedom. May God will that it never change in America. At this time, Nadia's family is allowed to attend church for one hour a week and are not allowed by the government to pass out tracts or go soul winning. God has blessed us with the opportunity to go to church any time we choose, share the message of Christ with those we meet daily, and invite people to church. Are we taking advantage of the opportunities God has graciously given to us? Nadia often shared this testimony in our summer tour meetings. "I grew up in the Communist country of Russia. One day my mother was invited to come to an underground Baptist church. Out of curiosity, she decided to accept the invitation - without knowing at the time that it would bring eternal change for my whole family. It was not long until my father, my brother, and I joined my mother in attending that church, and we accepted Jesus as our Saviour. A year later some Americans came and started a Christian school, which I started to attend. My mom became a teacher in that school, and she accepted many responsibilities concerning the school. Once of those responsibilities was to be the first person to come in the mornings to unlock the doors of the school. One of those mornings we found the doors broken, all of the school's belongings stolen, and the school completely vandalized. That day we found out that some of my teachers who were working in the Christian school and attending our church were KGB agents. They were working undercover so they could destroy the Christian work that was started in my city. Because my family was involved the most in building the school, we were persecuted. The teachers who were teaching me in the classroom just a few months before, threatened to kill our family. My brother was kidnaped; my father was beaten up on the street many times. The last thing we could do was run away. We sold everything we had so we could have enough money for a plane ticket. We went to the United Arabic Emirates, a small nation on the Arabian peninsula. After staying there for a month, God led my family back to Russia. After many years of prayer to leave Russia, God opened the door for me to come to the United States as an exchange student. My host family in America attended a fundamental Baptist church, Rogers City Baptist Church, Rogers City, Michigan, which was then pastored by Jeff Dufour, a Hyles-Anderson Collage graduate. While visiting a conference in Michigan, I heard Dr. Schaap preach and was introduced to Hyles-Anderson College. I did not have money nor the proper visa to stay in the country, but through a miracle, God provided the money and the visa to stay in the United States. I enrolled at Hyles-Anderson College as a freshman in the fall of 2001. During my first weekend at the college, I went on a bus route in Chicago. That day I led my first person to the Lord. Ever since, I have learned to make a difference in people's lives and to bring them to church. I haven't been back to my home country, and I haven't seen my dad and mom for four years, but when I get homesick, I am reminded that God's will is perfect. Jesus set the example by leaving His Heavenly Father for 33 years for my sake. Because of that, I can leave my parents and do what God wants me to do." |
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Sarah GraceI am just an ordinary girl who is loved by an extraordinary God and I seek to love others the same way. I love to bake, read, do puzzles, watch Hallmark movies, and go shopping with my mom! This blog was created as a place where I could share some thoughts that the Lord has shown me and to be an encouragement to others who desire to know Him in a deeper way. My prayer is to learn to sit still and trust God with my future. Archives
February 2023
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Photo used under Creative Commons from frederic.gombert
