Art and Healing: "Pain, Mercy and Forgiveness"

A friend of mine sent me the link to this article about a Slovakian artist and his sculpture titled " Memorial for Unborn Children." I thought it was sadly beautiful, and wanted to share the article and the artwork with you all. Art as therapy is a valuable tool in helping women (and anyone) heal inner wounds, and the powerful result is evidenced here in this example. You don't have to be a talented artist, but if you are in pain, just pick up a pencil, crayon, marker or paintbrush, and explore your emotions and heal. 

Follow this link to read the article please, it is definitely worth your time.

‘Heart-rending’: Young Slovakian sculptor captures post-abortion pain, mercy and forgiveness

by Dan Zeidler

The Right to Choose? An Argument about Rights

Whatever you think about the pro-choice camp, they don't want for cleverness. The idea that abortion is a woman's right is very powerful. We are a nation of rights.  They are prominent in our founding documents.  Our hearts beat a little more quickly when we think about liberty.  The mere suggestion of abortion as a right conjures an image of battle-weary women marching behind a flag, fife, and drum. 

Embrace the fiction for a moment and suppose abortion is a woman’s right. Instead of mere cleverness and an appalling Supreme Court decision, suppose it was actually listed in the Bill of Rights along with the other freedoms that we hold dear: speech, religion, assembly, press, etc. We would be basically where we are, except we would be spared the “safe, legal and rare” mantra spewed by pro-choice politicians when giving full-throated support to abortion and a deceptive nod to life.

Of course, a corollary to this right would have to be the right to actually have the baby.  They are two sides of the same coin.  Intrinsic in these rights is the notion that the unborn baby has no rights whatsoever.  It can’t, or they might interfere with the mother’s right to abort.  Also, the unborn babies must have no inherent value.  They can’t, or the father might have grounds for an objection which might interfere with the mother’s right to abort.

Not all countries are as free as us, though.  So, maybe some of the more outspoken abortion activists should visit a clinic in China.  There they can comfort one of the mothers undergoing a forced abortion.  As she wails hysterically for the child she’ll never know, they can pat her hand and explain that it’s no big deal.  It’s not infanticide or an atrocity of some kind.  The baby had no value.  Her government is just a little more restrictive, and this is simply one of the rights she doesn’t enjoy.

~ Rob

Born Alive Infant Protection Act: Thoughts....

We’ve got a link here to “October Baby” but that’s as close as I’ve gotten to the movie.  I’d like to see it, but we do live in the UP.  For sure I’ll see it on DVD.  Don’t expect it to be screened at the White House any time soon, though.  While a state senator, these were the very lives that our president was voting to end: survivors of abortions.  Three times he opposed the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act in Illinois.  Read more here http://www.nrlc.org/ObamaBAIPA/index.html.  He’s given lots of explanations, and they’ve changed many times, but the bottom line is certainly that he wouldn’t even risk the appearance of doing something to discourage abortion.

~ Rob

Abortion Laws Around the Globe...

Have you ever wondered what abortion laws look like around the world?  You can do a quick Google search or you can go to this site http://www.pregnantpause.org/lex/world02.jsp.  There’s a wealth of information, but it’s presented as a color-coded table which makes it very easy to read.

Brace yourself.  We are the most permissive, along with human rights abusers like China, Cuba, and North Korea.

Mark Steyn wrote an interesting but terrifying book a few years back called America Alone which discussed how many countries were in decline because they weren’t maintaining their populations.  From the chart, many of those countries also have some of the more permissive abortion laws.

Do you know what’s even more interesting, though?  Our recent enemies, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya have some of the most restrictive abortion laws.  I don’t pretend to understand what’s driving these laws, certainly a combination of tradition, religion, and culture.  But how is it possible that countries that sponsor suicide bombers and terrorist acts against women and children can hold unborn babies in higher regard than we do?

 
~ Rob


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Above All Love Others...

Above all love others, do not judge.  This does not mean that their is no right or wrong.  It is just not our right to judge says the Lord.

It is in celebrating the Events of Easter that we have evidence of the love God has for us.  "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him."  John 3:16,17

Our God is a loving and forgiving God.  This love is displayed in the confession scene found in chapter 25 of Treasuring Grace, "You also need to understand that our Lord is always waiting to forgive you if you'd just turn to Him and ask".

The key to truly loving others is to accept the love of Christ!

Believe,
Tracy

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The Bio Ethics of "After-Birth Abortions" aka Murder?

In late February, two bio-ethicists published a paper in the Journal of Medical Ethics which advocated “after birth abortion”.  This is a euphemism for an act which is more commonly known as murder.  Part of their argument was that the justification for an abortion of an unborn child could be just as valid when applied to the abortion of a newborn child.  I’d like to see this idea get spread beyond an obscure medical journal, because I agree.  In both cases the justification for the death of a child is equally valid, in other words, not at all.

Even so, I’d like to see the idea advanced because it is clearly a case of turning up the heat a little too quickly on the proverbial frog in the pot of water.  A lot of people have been swimming around as the water has gotten progressively warmer: accepting abortions, accepting later term abortions, accepting partial birth abortions to protect the mother’s life, and accepting partial birth abortions to protect the more broadly defined mother’s health.  But this is too big of a step and more people would jump to the cause of life.  

It would simplify the debate, though.  It would end the deliberate deceptions, and we could stop arguing about masses of tissue, when life begins, and viability.  There would be no reason to object to mandatory ultrasounds.  Everyone could openly agree that it’s a baby. The “choice” position would be that it doesn’t matter that it’s a baby, and the “life” position would be that that’s exactly what does matter, and a few more people would finally understand the horror of what we've been talking about.
                                               ~ Rob


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A Message from Rob: Co Author of Treasuring Grace

I think it’s important to start by echoing what Jake says in Treasuring Grace.  “There are two victims in every abortion.”  That’s our belief.  Our greatest hope is that the story may lead victims to understanding and forgiveness and help others to avoid the heartache completely.  No strong words on this site will ever be directed toward a woman who has suffered through an abortion.

However, on occasion, there will be strong words.  There are forces within our society that have an agenda that is abhorrent to the cause of life.  They are deceivers, and more of us need to be aware of them and their lies.

Take care,

Rob


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Writing through Pain: One Way to Heal Emotional Scars

Keeping a diary is something many little girls did growing up, but writing or journaling to deal with emotional scars as an adult is an important outlet for many women, and men whose lives have been touched by abortion. Writing or drawing in a space that is perfectly private allows a person to be completely honest in a way that traditional counseling may not, especially with the delicate subject of abortion.  A blank page is an space that can accept anything that needs expressing and can be destroyed or released afterwards to help move the person towards mental and emotional healing.  If your life has been touched by abortion and you find that you need a private way to express yourself, journaling in some way may be a good first step.  Check out this article for more information
 "Why Write? Emotional Healing" at:http://www.writingthroughlife.com/why-write-emotional-healing

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Pro Life and Healing After Abortion Blog Hop

Hi Friends,
A blog hop is a way for related blogs to network and link together so that readers can easily "hop" from one site to the next and read and learn quickly and easily all the wonderful content that is out there. Since starting this blog, I haven't been able to find such a thing for pro life or healing blogs such as my own, so I decided to start one! Its all part of my mission to help spread the truth and awareness and make it easy for people to find the information they need. If you have a blog and would like to join, simply go to the "click here, your next" link below this post to join...

Treasuring Grace: A Call to Action

People have asked me after reading the novel Treasuring Grace, "What can I do"?

First, I tell them to pray!  We can begin in prayer asking God to guide us and others to the truth.

Then, we need to be informed of what is the truth.  I have mentioned how the precious feet (tiny feet the size of a baby in utero at ten weeks) amazed me with the truth.  It wasn't enough for me to know the truth, but that I needed to share it with others.

Next, share the truth!  I did this by wearing the precious feet and explaining them when asked.  The truth may not always be easy to accept, so again go to God in prayer!

Above all, love others.  It is not our right to judge.

"Guide us, we pray, as we go forth and proclaim your truth, always doing so with a spirit of love and compassion, as was demonstrated to us through the work of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  In His name we pray, Amen."  A Prayer from the 40 Days For Life

Believe,
Tracy

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."  John 1:17

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Inner Healing: The Message of Renewal for All

Part of the mission of Treasuring Grace is healing for everyone touched by abortion. I found this great article on Great Bible Study.com titled Inner Healing 101 Healing Emotional Wounds that deals with identifying our wounds and how the bible can direct us towards healing.
"Open up those wounds, and give the pain to Jesus. What you want is to open up those wounds before the light (Jesus), so that they can be healed. As long as you hold them in darkness, they will never fully heal. If you had a physical wound, and it turned into an infection, and you merely put a bandaid over the wound, would that solve the problem? Of course not! You need to take that mask off, expose it to the light, and apply the healing and germ-killing light of Christ into that wound so that it can heal."

I encourage all my readers to go to http://www.greatbiblestudy.com/inner_healing_101.php  to read the entire article and apply it to your own lives. No matter the source of your inner wound, (we all have something) this is the perfect time of the year to shed our sorrow and be renewed.

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The Truth Will Set You Free: A Lenten Prayer

When I saw the precious feet for the first time I knew I needed to do something.  Those tiny little feet the size and shape of a baby in utero at ten weeks amazed me.  "This is the truth", I thought.

How could I not have known this and how many others are unaware of this I wondered.  I began wearing the precious feet with hope that I'd be asked about them.  Not everyone liked my response.  I would simply answer with the truth, "These feet are the size of a baby in utero at ten weeks".

The truth is not always easy to accept, but as Jesus states in John 8:32, "The truth shall set you free".  It is when deception is revealed and truth proclaimed that light will shine into the dark.

           A Lenten Prayer

"Help us to embrace the world you have given us, that we may transform the darkness of its pain into the life and joy of Easter.  Grant this through Christ our Lord."  Amen

May this be our prayer throughout the year, Happy Easter!

Believe,
Tracy

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What Might Not Have Been: An Open Letter of Friendship and Choices

Dear Treasuring Grace Ministries

 My childhood best friend, Gail and I were always very different.  I was serious; she was very outgoing and fun. When we got to high school I continued to be shy and my life centered around just a few close friends, she seemed to bloom outward and expand her circle, going to a lot of parties, becoming more popular, having more fun than I did to be sure.

We drifted apart, but still, we shared the seed of friendship that would never diminish.

Shortly after graduating from high school I planned my future. I was headed off to college, focused on a career, on a big life, a bright future.  My friend, Gail, and I met for a shopping trip to discuss her plans.  I had heard she applied to the University, but she seemed a little unsure where her life was going. 

 

I got in her car and I could see there was something on her mind. 

She started driving and she said to me, “Promise me you won’t hate me.” 

“Okay,” that seemed a very odd way to start a conversation, I thought.

“ I am pregnant.”  Oops.  I thought, this isn’t good.

“What are you going to do?” I asked. Immediately I began to think of all the things she was going to be losing. Her chance at an education, a real life, she really screwed up, I thought. This is a real mess.  I judged her. Internally, I did. On the outside, though, I was trying my best to be supportive and to allow her to tell me what her plan was.

“I don’t know.” She said. She began to cry. 

“I have to tell Tom,” (her boyfriend,) “but I want to keep the baby, of course.”

“Wow.” Of course she would. We were Catholic girls. We used to go to church together. This was going to be hard. But she was going to do it.

We looked at each other. Suddenly all those years where we drifted apart were gone. We were young schoolgirls again, almost reborn in our friendship. A new beginning.

She could have taken another route. A route many girls her age would have. But she took the harder one. I was proud of her.

A year later she married the baby’s father. They are married still to this day, some 25 years later.  They had 2 more sons. One died at birth.

Tom jr., that first child, “out of wedlock,” the one that might not have been, is a blessing to the world. He began volunteering with disabled children as a young teen, and is now doing youth ministry in Jordon.  He is an interesting, loving and special man, who, by the way, attended his parents wedding as a one year old, and was included in the vows.

I was proud to be the Maid of Honor.

Every child-to-be is a special soul whose potential is untold and whose impact on the world could be great.

                                                             ~ A Friend

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