She Sits Next to You in Church

So it's been an overwhelming week at the crisis pregnancy center.

I almost cried three times with patients. And I sobbed last night when I was alone praying at our adoration chapel.

These women. Their stories. They grip my heart and won't let go.

They are dealing with situations you and I can only dream of.

Yet at the same time, they're just like me and you. But a little less aware of grace. 

There's the teenager who's being threatened to get kicked out of her parents' house if she doesn't have an abortion.

There's the married woman with her marriage on the brink of divorce. They decided to reconcile and then she found out she's pregnant...and it's not her husband's baby. She plans to abort to save her marriage.

Twice. I heard that story twice this week. From two different women.

My heart is breaking.

They're losing jobs. Going through breakups. Escaping abuse. Battling depression.

It's heart wrenching.

But you know what else?

These women are your neighbors. Some of them sit next to you at church. They are your coworkers. You are encountering these women every day. Don't doubt that. There is no stereotype for a woman with a crisis pregnancy, for a woman considering an abortion or a woman who has had one. You have met these women, too.

Let that sink in, sisters. And let it open your heart and eyes to the people you encounter each day. They may just need your smile, your hand, your witness, your words, your love.

And more than anything, these women need your prayers. I sat before Jesus last night in the chapel, offering him these women. It's so heavy. I couldn't carry their burdens. I couldn't save their babies. I couldn't fix their lives. But I could give them to Him. He is their hope. He is our hope.

Please, sweet friends. Pray with me for them this week.

And you, dear heart. The one who's reading this while your heart whispers, I know. I've been there. You who carry the weight of your abortion in that corner of your heart that no one sees. You are loved. You are prayed for. There is hope and freedom and healing for you. God wants to break your chains. "Give Him the joy of being your savior." -Mother Teresa [www.hopeafterabortion.com]