A Healed Heart: Jesus Brings Hope
Monday, December 9, 2019
Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org
Today's Scripture
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him ... All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. John 3:1, 3 NIV
Thoughts for Today
After abortion, part of you is gone and you are not the same. You know something has been lost. You may feel like less of a person somehow, but you don’t want others to know. An unnamed shame takes over. You want to withdraw, either to nurse the hurt to your wounded dignity or to avoid detection by those whose dignity appears intact. But withdrawing does not heal the hurts.
The hard truth is that you cannot diminish the worth and personhood of a child before birth without diminishing the worth of your womanhood too. Like me, as a young woman you may have followed the feminist crowd, believing abortion would add to your value in the workplace as a woman unhindered by the responsibility of raising a child. “Reproductive freedom” was supposed to elevate the role of women in society to equal status with men, who can choose to remain unencumbered by unwanted pregnancy or parenthood. Or you may have been stripped of your ability to protect your growing child if you were coerced into abortion as so many women are. Your partner or parents may have threatened to abandon you or expose you to public shame.
Whether by choice or coercion, abortion always demeans your value as a woman, your identity as a vessel for God’s creation of each new life. A woman’s worth is not solely defined by childbearing, of course. But what sets us apart as women is our ability to bear children. Abortion strips us of the dignity of our unique role in producing human life, and wherever dignity has departed, shame resides.
Consider this …
What would you give if all the shame and worthlessness you feel after abortion could be relieved? That can happen if you reach for Jesus’ heart. The Bible tells us Jesus is the healer who demonstrates his love for us as a loving father cares for his own child. We have only to reach out to receive that gift.
Jesus knows exactly what you need. There is a world clamoring for help and healing, but your specific needs, your hurts, are on Jesus’ heart.
Do you believe Jesus is fully God and that he still has the power to heal? Jesus is the basis for our hope of spiritual healing—the removal of shame and feelings of worthlessness—after abortion. Read today’s scripture. Let Jesus lavish his love on you!
Prayer
Lord, thank you for loving me unconditionally. Please forgive my sins and remove these feelings of shame and worthlessness. I believe your son Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I reach out now to receive your love and forgiveness. In Jesus’ name . . .
These thoughts were drawn from … Cradle My Heart: Finding God's LOVE After Abortion by Kim Ketola. In this book, Kim seeks to help those hurt by abortion to grieve with hope. Sharing her story and the stories of ten other women, she reveals that God's love is not a casualty of the abortive process. With an appendix of helpful resources and a study and discussion guide included, Cradle My Heart is a timely and important resource for the hurting woman, the counselor, and the church.
With an understanding and empathetic voice, Kim Ketola exposes the hurt in your heart, reveals the healing in God's heart, and brings the two together to create a whole heart where restoration and celebration are possible.
©Living Free 2019. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day® devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN, www.LivingFree.org. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending an e-mail to [email protected]
