DAY 2: This is Personal

David Arabie looked down at his father Julius, lying in the hospital bed.  It was just a matter of days now before the cancer ran its course.  

“Dad,” he choked out, “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me, for making me who I am.  I love you.”

Julius stirred, opened his eyes, and looked at David.  “I love you too, son,” he said.  

Then came the words David hadn’t expected.  “But we’ve got to pray, David.  Pray with me to end abortion.”

David was taken aback.  Now, of all times, why did his father want to pray about abortion?  What had brought this to his mind?

Then Julius proceeded to tell his son a story he had never shared.  As a young man, Julius hadn’t wanted children because he had a genetic disorder he feared he might pass along.  Then he found out the girl he’d been dating had become pregnant.  Unprepared to become a father, and fearful of passing along the genetic disorder, he convinced her to “have it taken care of.”  He gave her the money, and they scheduled an abortion.  But the day of the abortion, she stood him up.

Then, with a deep breath, the dying father said, “David, I married that girl.  Now, twenty-five years later, the baby I wanted to kill is by my side at my deathbed.”

In the blink of an eye, abortion became personal for David Arabie.  

Suddenly it wasn’t just a moral issue to be considered, or a political issue to be debated, or a religious issue to be contemplated – abortion was a dramatic part of his own life. (1)

How about you?  Is abortion personal for you?

Maybe you’ve never been impacted by the pain of abortion, and for you the issue is not personal.  I think this is one reason a lot of Christians avoid the issue.  “Hey, I’ve never had an abortion.  This isn’t my problem… it’s not my fight.”

Or maybe you’ve experienced the tragedy of abortion yourself, and this issue is too personal.  It’s too painful, and you avoid the issue for entirely different reasons.

Either way, I believe all of us will avoid the issue until we allow it to become personal.  We have to feel the pain of it, and allow that pain to motivate us to act.

Romans 12:15 exhorts us to: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

Galatians 6:2 commands us to: “Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Will you take this issue personally?  Will you weep with those who weep and carry one another’s burdens?  Will you allow your heart to be broken by the things that break the heart of God?

Suggested things to pray for:

• Pray for more Christians to get involved and take this issue personally.
• Pray for God to break your heart and show you how he wants you to get involved.

1. Footnote: This story is recorded in the book 40 Days For Life.  It was a life-transforming moment for David Arabie, and he went on to become one of the key voices who helped start 40 Days For Life.