A Hill that's Heavy on My Heart by Wendy L. Macdonald

 Sandi Somers gave us the following as our prompt for June:

Most of us have grappled with ethical dilemmas as a writer and/or in other life circumstances. Tell us of a time you grappled with an ethical dilemma. How did you approach this dilemma? And what was your answer? How did God show you what to do? How did you honour your responsibility? To God? To your reader? To yourself? 

Note: This topic was prompted by Pam Mytroen in her 2021 blog post: Canyons and Cornerstones

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First, I highly recommend Pam’s post. It inspires us to trust God will guide us in writing about topics we’re not comfortable with.

As a blogger, I've avoided some controversial topics like they’re a horrible hill I’m not willing to die on. So far, I haven’t been asked or motivated to write on my least favorite topics. But I have written about abortion several times. 

It’s a hill I’m willing to lose followers over. It’s a hill that’s heavy on my heart because each time I see a tiny and vulnerable life in nature, I’m reminded of the thousands of lives that are snuffed out each day in hospitals and abortion clinics. It’s not that I don’t have any empathy for the pro-choice view, but I can’t ignore the call to pray and protect the defenseless. 

I’ve lived—and still live—up close and personal with the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy. Choosing life for an unborn child has the potential to turn the lives of all involved upside down and sideways in ways they never imagined.

Sometimes saying yes to life is the end of the life we once lived.

Christians are to die to themselves and live for Christ. What good is our faith if we aren’t willing to be faithful towards the unborn? 

The deep rewards of supporting my son who said yes to life have far outweighed the sacrifice of my previously predictable life. When he shows up unexpectedly in our home because he needs a hand in keeping himself and his son plugged into his family support system, I drop what I’m doing and share my world with them. Love doesn’t avoid the inconveniences of others. It inconveniences itself for the sake of others.

Nothing has been as rewarding as trusting God will provide the energy, time, and resources I need to be there in tangible ways for my unplanned but dearly loved grandson.

Abortion negates the need of God and robs families of the joy of living in His extravagant grace.

Thankfully God is a forgiving God. He longs to forgive those who have chosen death over life. He knows and sees the pressures many pregnant women experience from those around them. This is precisely why crisis pregnancy care centres are a powerful, important, and compassionate part of the pro-life movement. They come alongside pregnant women and provide free resources and counselling regardless of which choice the women made.

I’m glad my son chose life. It hasn’t been easy. It’s still not easy. But I see fruit maturing from his choice to do what his heart believed was best. I admire how much my son desires to continue doing what’s best even though it’s costing him dearly in so many ways. Love doesn’t penny-pinch. It bears the pinch to the wallet and rises to spend itself for the sake of the beloved. 

That’s what Jesus did. And that’s what we’re called to do. In our lives and through our pens.

I’m nosy-to-know if you’ve had to put feet to your pro-life belief?  

Blessings of Abundant Life in Jesus ~ Wendy Mac

P.S. I wrote the first draft of this blog post before a recent court ruling happened in the USA regarding their abortion laws. For several years I’ve been praying for the Pro-life movement to grow in a good and godly way. Love opens hearts to respect all lives. Let’s pray that changes are made at a heart level on our planet regarding the unborn. And let’s help others when God calls us to do so.

Wendy L. Macdonald is an inspirational blogger and podcaster who loves to photograph nature on Vancouver Island. Her byline is: “My faith is not shallow because I’ve been rescued from the deep.”  Please consider signing up for her monthly newsletter so you’ll be the first to hear when her Christian living book is ready for you to download a free sample chapter.