Siblings, Grandparents, and other Forgotten Victims
Day 21
When Rebekah was 8, she found out she had a sister. "I was snooping around my mom's Bible and found four pieces of paper stuffed between the pages. The first sentence read, "I was sixteen years old when I became pregnant with Elizabeth and I had no idea what to do.'
"The look in her eyes when I explained to my daughter what abortion was, and why I had taken the life of her sister still haunts me, " Rebekah's mother says. "I had an abortion when I was sixteen, because I didn't want my parents and friends to know I was having sex. They thought I was a good girl."
We often forget that abortion not only takes the life of a child, it robs others of being grandparents, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters. Today, decades after Roe v Wade, the sheer number of these victims of abortion is staggering. These victims need to be acknowledged also. As Rebekah's mom wrote:
It was in 1995 that I finally acknowledged that I didn't just have an abortion, but I aborted a child, my child. For 19 years I had denied what my abortion had done - it had ended the life of my baby. I finally began to grieve for what was lost. I realized as long as it was a secret, it had control over me. Telling my parents was one of the hardest things I had to do. They cried as they realized they had a grandchild who they never knew.
A few years later, I fearfully shared my story at church and afterwards, realized that sharing the experience in public relieved the sense of shame and instead I felt peaceful, forgiven and free from the burden of my secret. I want other women to know about the help that is available and that they too can be silent no more.
And Rebekah found peace as well.
After holding in my feelings for so long, I had to let them out. I had a few close friends that helped me through all this, and I also did a lot of writing. And after praying about it, I came to the last step in giving up my issues with my sister: I handed them over to Christ. Having a relationship with Christ is the best way to let go of pain.
"The look in her eyes when I explained to my daughter what abortion was, and why I had taken the life of her sister still haunts me, " Rebekah's mother says. "I had an abortion when I was sixteen, because I didn't want my parents and friends to know I was having sex. They thought I was a good girl."
We often forget that abortion not only takes the life of a child, it robs others of being grandparents, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters. Today, decades after Roe v Wade, the sheer number of these victims of abortion is staggering. These victims need to be acknowledged also. As Rebekah's mom wrote:
It was in 1995 that I finally acknowledged that I didn't just have an abortion, but I aborted a child, my child. For 19 years I had denied what my abortion had done - it had ended the life of my baby. I finally began to grieve for what was lost. I realized as long as it was a secret, it had control over me. Telling my parents was one of the hardest things I had to do. They cried as they realized they had a grandchild who they never knew.
A few years later, I fearfully shared my story at church and afterwards, realized that sharing the experience in public relieved the sense of shame and instead I felt peaceful, forgiven and free from the burden of my secret. I want other women to know about the help that is available and that they too can be silent no more.
And Rebekah found peace as well.
After holding in my feelings for so long, I had to let them out. I had a few close friends that helped me through all this, and I also did a lot of writing. And after praying about it, I came to the last step in giving up my issues with my sister: I handed them over to Christ. Having a relationship with Christ is the best way to let go of pain.
What to Pray for Today:
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1. Pray for those Struggling with Stolen Relationships
These victims of abortion are often forgotten, and deal everyday with a sense of loss and anger. Pray that they are able to forgive. |
2. Pray for those who Continue to Hide the Choice they Made to Abort
Like Rebekah's mom, there are many women who have chosen to bury the secret that they had an abortion. Healing is impossible until they find forgiveness in Christ and reconciliation in their relationships. |
3. Pray that Women Continue to Tell their Story
Silent No More is one example of a campaign aimed at helping women come to grips with their choice to abort. Pray that many women find the courage to join this campaign, and others like it. |
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Foundation for Life
5726 Southwyck Blvd, Ste. 120 Toledo, Ohio 43614 phone: (419)535-5800 |
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