Friday, May 24, 2019

New Positive Note

I wanted to share that I am blessed. Yes, I have often written about political issues and our negative culture but, for a change, I want to share how good God has been to me. I have a wonderful husband. He is a gift from God. That is a long story that I won't go into right now but he is an answer to prayer. I think he knows that. He is easy-going, even when he doesn't feel good. He is steady. I can count on his steady mood. He isn't moody at all. He is not short-tempered. It takes a lot to make him angry. That is such a blessing!

I have two wonderful adult children. They know me. They know how I could be moody, short-tempered, unstable sometimes. They know me but still love me. They have also blessed me with four wonderful grandchildren. Of course, every grandma says their grandchildren are the best and I am not an exception. 😉 Three of them are now adults according to the law (over 18). The other is 16. They love me too and I am so proud of all four of them. They are growing into responsible adults, have goals, going somewhere in life!

I have not written much about myself on this blog but I do want you to have a glimpse of me. Besides being a mother, grandmother, wife, I am a woman nearly 75 years old and have seen a lot over the years. I have been negative in the past, but because of my relationship with Jesus Christ, getting to know Him and His Father, God, and the Holy Spirit, I am much more positive. Studying the Word of God, the Bible, has been crucial in my growth to be a positive person.

Why is that important to me? I am happier and healthier and I think it's because I tend to be positive, and have faith that things will work out for my good. In our society today, I see so much hate, anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. All of those negative emotions are so hard on one's body and mind. They will shorten lives but, more importantly, these emotions will cause our journey through this life to be miserable as well as unhealthy. Yes, things need to change in the political spectrum. Yes, there are some who are being unfairly. All of these things we see are not good but I believe that holding on to negative emotions doesn't solve any of it! All it does is make US sick and miserable.

If you have a relationship with God, pray. If not, then think positive thoughts. Cast away hate and unforgiveness. Look at nature -- the flowers, the birds, the trees, all of the magnificent natural beauty. None of that has changed over the centuries. We still see blue skies and puffy white clouds just as Abraham in the Bible did. God is constant and He holds the universe in His capable hands. Worrying about things we have no control over will just rob us of all the blessings we have around us. I know that some reading this will think I don't have a realistic view on life. I beg to differ! It is much easier to count my blessings than to worry about things and people that I can't control. Be blessed!

Friday, May 10, 2019

The Blob

With the new movie, Unplanned, having been shown and now is gone (at least it is here), there has been much more attention to the abortion issue. Those who are "pro-choice" insist that in an early pregnancy, it is simple "tissue" and not a life. They say it is just a "blob". However, at 8 weeks, the fetus (boy, I hate that word!), has a heart, a developing brain and looks quite a bit like a baby.
Obviously, this is an artist's rendition and not entirely accurate but, according to Kidspot, the fetus (or baby) is "becoming recognisably human", arms and legs are getting longer as you can see above. The baby already has a beating heart although not as we think of a heart. I read where early on (say 4 weeks) the heart consists of two chambers rather than the four we normally think of. However, this tiny heart is beating at 5 weeks. Did you read that five; The sad thing here is that abortion advocates don't tell the woman any of these facts and they are opposed to a pregnant woman seeing an ultrasound. It is all too real seeing the ultrasound. Many women opt not to have an abortion upon seeing their ultrasound. This is as it should be.

Long ago, in biblical times, the Israelites were heading to their Promised Land. Before they crossed the Jordan River, God commanded them to completely wipe out the people living in Jericho. These were the Canaanites. Why did God command this? Because they worshiped a false god who they believed demanded they sacrifice their newborn infants (passing through the fire). God takes new life seriously and what these people did was an abomination to Him.

Okay, so maybe you don't believe in the Bible or in God. I get that too. Although I am a believer, not everyone is. However, no matter if you believe in God or not, upon conception, that "blob" IS a baby! How can we justify this murder? Here are some reasons:

1.  It is inconvenient -- the woman is still in school, unmarried without any means of support, in the middle of a career, etc.

2.  Fear -- fear of judgment by others if the pregnancy is outside of marriage (this doesn't happen so much any more), fear of losing a job or a scholarship, fear of losing the relationship, etc.

Abortion has been around since the days of Adam. I know that. I also know that prior to Roe v Wade, abortions were done in secret by some people who believed they were helping a woman out. Some abortionists were doctors who risked their medical license. Some were mid-wives and some were just regular people. Yes, there were terrible consequences sometimes. It affected me personally. My maternal grandmother died as a result of an abortion when my mother was only 15. So, yes, the circumstances were not always the best. There were perforated uteruses which caused bleeding and many times, death. There were infections due to non-sterile instruments.

However, that happens in abortion clinics today, too. The movie Unplanned has a scene where the doctor perforated a young woman's uterus and the woman almost died. She was really just a teenager - not a woman the way we think. Her father brought her in "to get rid of it". There have been news stories over the years where some abortion clinics were found to have non-sterile conditions and instruments. Abortion clinics try to keep this information out of the public awareness but it does happen. If a woman has an unexpected turn for the worse, the clinics do their best to NOT get that woman to a hospital for treatment. Sadly, some of these instances have resulted in death.

What amazes me is that having an abortion is really major surgery! Instead of having a cot or bed to rest on after the procedure, these women sit in chairs. This is what I saw in the movie and I can't verify that all clinics do this. After a couple of hours (I don't know the exact amount of time - just a guess here), they are sent home. There is no follow-up or post-surgical care. It's like they get a tooth pulled or something! That is frightening to me. What happens if they start bleeding at home? Is there any care available to them?

The last thing that troubles me is the psychological impact that an abortion has on a woman. Sure, the radical left "celebrates" having an abortion but in reality, on an individual basis, does any woman really celebrate killing an unborn child? At some point in time, that regret, that guilt comes. The woman who has had an abortion feels shame too. Who do they turn to? If they feel guilty and don't want anyone to know they had an abortion, they feel so isolated. Fortunately, there are websites today that are there for that woman. For example, Post Abortion Healing and Help offers no-judgment help. It isn't political or religious - they just offer a safe place to "talk" with others who have been through an abortion. I spent a few minutes there and was very impressed with this site. I am sure there are others -- some that are religious and/or political. The important thing is that there are places to get some psychological help. I know seeing a counselor is available too but that costs money which may be a barrier for getting help.

I feel so sad that we are killing unborn children. I believe in God and I know it breaks His heart too. My prayer is that some day, in my lifetime, abortion will be a thing of the past in our nation; that if a woman gets pregnant, she will either raise the child or place the baby for adoption. There are many couples out there who so want a child and can't have one. Why do we not offer these unplanned babies to them? I pray we do.