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As long as my mind is healthy, I do not believe
I will ever forget the occasion that I am about to recount to
you. My wife and I were still newlyweds when we found out that
we were going to have a baby. Few things have surpassed the joy
we experienced that day.
In the early months of our pregnancy, my wife
had an enormous amount of pain in her stomach area. Naturally,
this alarmed us because our unborn child was living and growing
in there. We sought out a physician to provide a remedy for the
enormous pain she was experiencing. He did some testing and concluded
that there was a problem with the placenta.
In case you do not know, the placenta is a very
important organ. It provides food and oxygen to the baby through
the umbilical cord. Obviously, problems with the placenta could
harm the child in its development. A severe problem would probably
result in a miscarriage.
Our doctor informed us that our baby had a 40%
chance of survival. He then suggested that we have an abortion.
He would not perform the abortion due to his religious beliefs;
however, he would be willing to recommend someone for us. We were
stunned; his Hippocratic Oath had become his Hypocritical Oath.
He was suggesting we pay another doctor to kill our baby!
The Bible teaches us that God hates those that
shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17). Abortion is the "shedding
of innocent blood"; it is murder (Rev. 21:8). In the last
32 years, America has witnessed a devastating tsunami of death
and destruction as 50,000,000 babies met a premature death. Every
single day, 4,300 babies are killed in a "cruel and unusual
way" (180/hr, 3/min, 1/20sec).
Some people try to exonerate their murderous mindset
and behavior by falsely concluding the "thing" in the
mother's womb is not really a baby. Honesty will not allow that
belief, the scientific observations are overwhelming: 16-18 days
following conception, the baby's heart begins to beat. At 6 weeks,
the baby's brain waves can be measured. At 8 weeks, the baby's
stomach, liver, and kidneys are functioning and fingerprints have
formed. At 9 weeks, the baby can feel pain. Approximately, half
of the abortions performed each year occur after the 9th week.
Can you imagine the pain that these young babies feel as they
are ripped from the safety of their mother's womb? The fact is
these people do not want a baby! In our country, abortion is mainly
used as another form of birth control.
The Bible teaches us that God is the author of
life. "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together
in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My
frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my
unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none
of them" (Ps. 139:13-16 ESV). God is the author of life and
he hates those who destroy it!
My wife continued to have pain throughout the
remainder of our pregnancy. I had to do a lot of work in the house
that she normally would have done. Finally, on July 4, 1998, Kaleb
James was born. Following the birthing process, the doctors checked
the placenta and there was nothing wrong. The previous doctor
had been wrong!
Kaleb is almost 7. Recently, my family and I sat
down to watch some old home movies in which he was usually the
center of attention. My wife and I cried as we watched the birth
of our son, his first shots, his first Christmas and birthday,
his first snowman and half snow angel, his first puppy, his first
harmonica, etc., etc. Kaleb has given us memory after memory and
joy after joy. Life would not have been the same if Kaleb had
not been born. We are so thankful that we chose to "obey
God" rather than man (Acts 5:29).
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