Last week I journeyed once
to the nearby abortuary to plead for the lives of helpless little children. While
there I encountered a man who began to viciously berate and abuse me. His
language was foul, his demeanor threatening. Yet, he would stop every so often
as if to invite me up to speak to him, implying he both needed and wanted
assistance.
Supposedly his child died
in the womb and they had come to have it removed. I say supposedly because
mothers and fathers routinely lie about what motivates them to an abortuary. We
know this because many have confessed to lying after experiencing a change of
heart. Nonetheless, upon hearing of the man’s misfortune I offered my heartfelt
sympathy and explained that we were still obligated to God to speak up for the
children being slaughtered. At which point, I also offered him a beautiful
blanket for his child’s burial as a token of our regard for his loss.
His primary argument was
that we absolutely had no right, and that no one – no matter how needy -- who came
to an abortuary deserved to be helped anyway. At which point, I began to
explain that our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross obligated us to love our
brothers and sisters enough to be there in His stead. Further, I explained that
we truly loved him, too, and were deeply sorry for his loss.
After considering all
this, he suddenly confided that he, too, was a Christian, and it was his
Christianity that caused him to be absolutely humiliated by our efforts. Then
he began to threaten me, saying that if we (clearly meaning me) did not cease,
he would file a complaint against me and see me arrested. Understand, all this
occurred while he cursed and abused me verbally with his every breath.
Now, I ask you. Where do
these “Christians” come from who believe such behavior is either pleasing to
God or acceptable to Him? The sad thing is that many do come from a church
environment – one that is so open to whatever feels right that all these things
are considered appropriate.
Clearly, the man was hurting.
He had lost his child and was deeply wounded by that loss. If he were a
singular example, we might even say that his sorrow just went too deep. Unfortunately,
this is not so. For every week we see many enter the abortuary with the sign of
the cross, the sign of the fish, a Bible on the dashboard, or a Christian bumper
sticker on the back! These men and women flash vulgar signs at us, curse us
vehemently, threaten us . . . even aim their vehicles at us.
I would have put my arms
around this man and wept with him, but he would have preferred to see me in
chains. I would have prayed with him for healing and deliverance. Yes, I prayed
for him anyway, but he did not get to feel that compassion nor experience that
motherly embrace. He was too angry, too blind, and far too uneducated in the
ways of God.
Christianity is not just a
word. It is a conversion that affects us completely. I saw no such evidence in this
poor man. In fact, before he finished his tirade, he had soundly cursed even the
Lord. Nor do we see evidence of the Lord in those who come with their tokens of
Christianity; but rather, we see the love of self – the love of convenience –
the love of the lie.
It is inconvenient for me
to go to plead for the lives of the children. It is hard to make the blankets I
give away. It is heartbreaking to know that the children are being slaughtered
as we stand outside pleading with their parents. But Christianity – true Christianity
is not convenient. It requires sacrifice from us. It required the ultimate
sacrifice from Him. Why now do so many think themselves so much better that
they should not be inconvenienced even in the slightest? I tell you the truth,
it is because so many have not been transformed – that is to say, they are only
Christian in their minds, because their deeds speak clearly of an allegiance
that is decidedly not heavenly.
God’s peace,
