Lent is a Great Time for Women Who Regret Abortion to Find Hope and Healing in Jesus

Many Christians who will attend church services during this Lenten season have lost a child, or children, to abortion.

Countless other grandparents, friends and family members were intimately associated with decisions and actions that led to the death of a preborn child: Advising a family member to abort, driving a college roommate, or contributing financially to procure the procedure.

Many are unaware of how that child’s death deeply impacted their hearts and souls. Even after confessing their sins, and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, women and men can still struggle with painful personal and relational symptoms after abortion. This signals the need for a deeper emotional and spiritual healing of that abortion experience.

Follow LifeNews.com on Instagram for pro-life pictures and videos.

Others drift away from church attendance after their abortions.  Sharon shares:

“I used to avoid worship services after my abortion.  I told myself, and others it was because I disagreed with my church’s teaching about ‘reproductive rights.’

Many years later, I realized that this pro-abortion stance was a way to protect myself from the truth I could not face – those two abortions, one surgical the other using abortion pills, deeply hurt me emotionally, and spiritually.”

Living the Lie

In many congregations, the Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent presents the great confrontation between Jesus and Satan in the desert, prior to the initiation of His public ministry.

With each temptation, Jesus responds to the deception, and lies of Satan: Man does not live by bread alone; You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him alone shall you serve; You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.

Without healing, emotional survival after abortion often involves living a lie – the denial and repression of the emotional and biological truth of what has been lost. It is a seductive lie, the bright and shiny fruit of Eden, powerfully reinforced by the messaging of popular culture.

The truth is, a very natural biological, emotional and spiritual relationship is damaged when parents participate in the death of their preborn children.  Hearts and souls are intimately wounded when the natural love of a mother, father, or grandparent has been aborted – along with the little boy or girl in the womb.

It’s important to note that the majority of women experience varying degrees of pressure and coercion at the time of an unplanned pregnancy.    In some cases fathers are traumatized when they discover they are powerless to prevent the destruction of their son or daughter in the womb.

Regardless of the circumstances, in every abortion decision, the relationship with God is damaged. Wounded souls secretly hunger for reconciliation and healing.

Proclaim the Good News

At the beginning of this article, Sharon shared how abortion impacted her relationship with her faith community. She now tells us how a message of healing turned out to be a life-changing experience:

“Thankfully one Sunday my mom asked me to take her to church and breakfast for her birthday.  I gritted my teeth and agreed to go.

Though initially feeling anxious and uneasy hearing the preacher introduce the topic of abortion – to my shock, and surprise, he spoke of the mercy of God, and the great hunger of Jesus for wounded souls to trust in Him, not matter how grievous their sins. 

He spoke with love, and charity of how abortion damages a mother/father’s heart and soul, and the blessing of healing programs.    He shared a brief testimony from a past participant of the Rachel’s Vineyard weekend in their community.

 In the days that followed, I felt the Holy Spirit open my heart and soul to the possibility of healing.  It was a moment of grace, and opened the door for a life-changing experience of God’s mercy.”

Lent can be a perfect time for clergy and ministers of all denominations to share a message of hope and healing for those who have suffered abortion loss.

Abortion healing programs provide a safe and effective process to work through the complicated grief and pain, restoring communion with God, and one’s aborted children.  Share the many blessings of making this rewarding journey.

May this Lent be a life-changing journey for you, a friend or loved one wounded by abortion.  Travel with Jesus through the wilderness of sin and death, into the glorious light of Resurrection.

Have a blessed Lent and Easter Season.

LifeNews Note: Theresa Burke, Ph.D., and Kevin Burke, MSS, are the founders of Rachel’s Vineyard and pastoral associates of Priests for Life.

The post Lent is a Great Time for Women Who Regret Abortion to Find Hope and Healing in Jesus appeared first on LifeNews.com.