There are three videos below wherein women, and one man, who have had abortions explain the aftermath of grief and dysfunction that consumed them. It is called post abortion syndrome; like post traumatic stress.
The testimonials are very heart wrenching, but I heard a couple of statements that angered me very much: two or more of the women were afraid about what Christians would say or think about them.
These women, who suffered from PAS were stuck between the two extremes, Christians, whom they believed hated them; and pagans who reveled in the liberty to abort their unwanted babies. They had no safe place wherein they might find comfort and healing.
The first video below talks about a place created for their healing.
There are 3 testimonials below: 12 minutes; 13 and 4 minutes. The second video also gives the testimony of a man who went along with the abortion of 4 children.
Afterwards, there is a 4 minute video wherein Dr. John MacArthur speaks about what happens to those innocent souls that have been aborted.
Then, I have some thoughts to share with Christians as to why they might not be open to loving someone who sins in the aforementioned manner.
At least 3 women speak of their post abortion experience in the following 12 minute video.
The third women, Jenny McDirmid, made numerous statements that best described the plight of those suffering PAS. Furthermore, she spoke of the brokenness of abortion being something God used in her life to bring her to salvation; as He uses brokenness of various kinds to bring people to the cross.
In the following 13 minute video, a man and his girlfriend talk about how abortion devastated them:
In the following 4 minute video, a single mother speaks about how her abortion has traumatized her for the past 7 years since she aborted the child of her illicit affair with a married man:
Biblically speaking, what happens to the souls of those innocent babies that have been aborted? Dr. John MacArthur speaks about that in the following 4 minute video:
These stories moved me to tears. I know two women who grieve their abortions and had not processed the trauma of them. I think about them everytime I see young naive women, leftists and democrats marching for the right to choose, celebrating abortion like it makes life wonderful or something! Those young women in the marches probably have not known the pain of post abortion syndrome, they likely have not even had an abortion?
If you have had an abortion, I hope you found some solace in their stories and that their means of grieving and moving on were helpful to you.
Secrets like the above, only fester and cause more shame and guilt if those sins are not faced and worked through. I worked with victims of abuse for over two decades and I understand the difficulty of facing and processing it. But that must be done if the pain is to diminish.
Those women found forgiveness in Christ. They were driven to seek it because their sins were destroying them. But it is wonderful that forgiveness for sin is a reality with Christ.
That leads me to what angered me in at least two of those videos above, the women fearing what Christians would think.
Since I have been a Christian, 15 years presently, I have only known a handful of Christians who are willing to discuss their sin. I have gotten the impression, from my many interactions with Christians, that many are pretending to be holy and glossing over their sin; or maybe they are focused more on other’s sins?
I am not saying I’m right in every instance or anything; but what I know for certain, is that if one has not dealt with his own sins by owning, confessing to God, and finding some other human with which to share about sin, then he has not learned how to access God’s mercy.
No one who covers up his sins has learned much about grace. Jesus, in the beatitudes, stated that the first sign of one who is a true kingdom citizen is that he recognizes his own spiritual poverty — spiritual bankruptcy; mourning sin is the second sign of being a true, born-again Christian.
Those who call themselves Christians and do not know these things are self-deceived.
I turned away from Christianity for many years because of that type of self-righteous Christian; I felt their judgment; and their condemnation of me. I did not know the love of Christ through them.
Jesus said that we are to love one another. The women above found that kind of love, Christ’s love, via women who knew that pain, women who were committed to being honest and sharing their lives with those hurting souls that were lost in shame and guilt because they’d walked that path.
That is a picture of what Christ’s followers are to be like: real about their own sin, broken; experiencing God’s mercy and giving it to others. That is what happens when the Holy Spirit works poverty of spirit, mourning for sin and brokenness into Christ’s followers.
That love those women were giving wasn’t about being politically correct, nice…but it was about discussing the truth, the facts of their choices and owning the irresponsible behaviors and bringing that all to the cross for Christs forgiveness.
The following link gives the symptoms of post abortion syndrome:
The following link is to a self-exam packet that can help one to learn journaling, identifying thoughts, feelings, opinions and behaviors that result from experiences and interactions in life. Such skills make it possible to process events like abortion. I don’t think one could process such an event, however, without God; without His Word, prayer, fellowship with other believers that know God’s mercy….
The first two videos above, indicated that Christ’s forgiveness and true sharing of secrets (thoughts, opinions, feelings about the event) were the healing agents.