Angry, and Can't Sleep...

I should be in bed tonight sleeping, but I am wrestling with anger. There are many thoughts turning over in my mind, God and his sovereignty, the up coming elections, my pregnant wife, our unborn son, and abortion.

I recently had a conversation at work with a co-worker about politics. Although we agree politically on many issues one issue we disagree on is abortion. I am "pro-life" which really means I don't think it is right to mistreat people. For me it is not a question of "born" or "unborn" I value the life of a child in or out of the womb the same way I value the life of grown men and women, those with disabilities, those with life threatening diseases, and those who are walking through their final days on this earth. I believe life holds great value. My co-worker while respectfully disagreeing with me on abortion appreciated the value I place on life, and we had a peaceful conversation on the subject. Unfortunately not every conversation on this subject can be peaceful. Abortion is an emotional subject because it is a moral subject much like the debate over slavery in the history of Western Civilization. When the topic of right and wrong enter into the conversation it is difficult to find middle ground, yet concerning a topic like abortion it is impossible to avoid "right and wrong". Sometimes it is necessary to pick a side and stop riding the fence, even when the side you choose is unpopular. Abortion is an issue that demands one to choose a side. I believe the side you choose ultimately reveals your worldview, beliefs, and morals. The problem I have with abortion stems back to my belief on the origin of suffering. John Piper writes,

"Much of our suffering comes from the sins of others against us and from our own sins. Satan is called in the Bible "the temper" (Matt. 4:3; 1 Thess. 3:5). This was the origin on earth of all the misery that we know-- Satan tempted Eve to sin, and sin brought with it the curse of God on the natural order (Gen. 3:14-19; Rom. 8:21-23). Since that time Satan has been tempting all human beings to do what will hurt themselves and others."

Tonight my wife and I spent time watching the testimony of Gianna Jessen a saline abortion survivor (see http://www.giannajessen.com/ ). She is an example of the type of suffering described by John Piper. We saw the video on a blog called Radical Womanhood (http://solofemininity.blogs.com/). Gianna Jessen is quoted on that blog as saying "Now I am just compelled to say this: If abortion is merely about women's rights, ladies and gentlemen, then what were mine? There was not a radical feminist standing up and yelling about how my rights were being violated that day. In fact, my life was being snuffed out in the name of women's rights." The video of her testimony is worth viewing so I posted it below. As I watched the video I was reminded that we must consider what is truly important as we pray about the election this November. I strongly encourage you to watch both parts. Perhaps righteous anger will boil up within you as well prompting you to spread the word to others reminding them to stand up for the rights of those who cannot stand for themselves.

Part One:

Part 2: