So there’s this unruly tree in our backyard. It’s positioned close to the house, just past the deck, hanging right over the roof, making all kinds of mischief.
It drops limbs, and bombs acorns, and litters leaves. It’s been untended and is therefore lawless and obtrusive. It’s a messy inconvenience. As much as I love trees, love green, love the sound of leaves swishing and whispering, I had determined to tear it down shortly after purchasing the property.
Then one day I found myself browsing the varied shelves of our local Barnes and Noble.
I’d been given the gift of a free afternoon and so I basked in the plethora of books offered to me there, with no agenda or docket.
As I walked around I came across a book entitled, The Hidden Life of Trees. Intrigued, I cracked open its pages and found myself….. becoming increasingly appalled at myself.
The first few lines of this book dove right into the fact that underground, in the unseen, in the dark depths of our fantastic earth – trees nourish one another, especially roots of their own kind. They seem to communicate in a way, and they help each other sustain life.
As I read, I pictured my own large and obnoxious backyard tree and suddenly remembered that it is indeed living. I pictured it in my mind all rooted in, attached to my property, taking in beautiful nutrients from our rich earth. Like Joyce Kilmer wrote, in her poem Trees…
I think that I shall never see
a poem lovely as a tree
A tree who’s hungry mouth is prest
against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray…
But then I pictured myself taking an ax to it.
I pictured that first blow. One second it’s standing tall, and full of life, and offering shade, and basking in sunshine. The next it is chopped, exposed, laying lifeless and cold on the earth it once partnered with.
And this…
It makes me think of wombs.
It makes me think of the wombs of women housing life.
It makes me think of a being all blessed, all satisfied, seemingly safe.
It makes me think of the instant everything changed – one minute housed in a nourishing bliss bubble, the next pierced and writhing or dismembered and stricken.
And I’m broken.
And at a loss.
And barely able to conceive it.
But here’s the thing – I’m showing women to the door of the abortion clinic if I’m not opening my arms and heart to the women who feel they have no other choice in the matter. I’m holding needles to young growing brains if I’m not offering myself to the at-risk unborn.
Do you know who taught me this?
A lesbian. A lesbian raising a severely handicapped child she lovingly adopted because no one else would. She sat next to me in a family psychology class at Ohio State. In a strong but couth tone she asked me what Jesus followers were doing to help women raise the babies we try to save. She pointed out that it is not enough just to oppose something, we must offer up something, too.
True. Its just the wise, awful, loving truth.
So as we hear in the news that full term babies can be legally aborted, and as we read the startling statistics of how many babies are aborted each year in NYC alone, and as we pass by abortion clinics, and as we hear the personal stories of women who felt they had to make that choice – we must ask how we might be agents of a healing change.
We will all offer different balms. Some will adopt. Some will volunteer. Some will give or raise money. Some will give testimony. Some will mentor. Some will live alongside. Some will counsel. Some will raise awareness through works of art and words.
I’m privy to that last one myself, and I’m praying for revelation about what else I might do. Will I raise a child who was previously set to be ridded of? Perhaps.
The tree is staying put. If not only as a reminder that I have a responsibility to mend and not just be a mouthpiece.
Help us, Jesus.
Yes. So yes.
Absolutely these words by Kate should be ringing from every hill, valley, and loudly to all who need “the answer” to their cries of helplessness. Be with each one Lord Jesus, is my prayer.
Wow! Just Wow! Such truth spoken with such eloquence and grace. I feel as though you’ve held up a mirror in which we can each examine ourselves and our own thoughts regarding such a controversial and painful topic. It is not enough to have an opinion. It is not enough to voice that opinion. It is not enough to applaud and harrumph along with those who agree with us. We must be more than hearers of the Word and be doers of the Word. And that doing is to be based on the 2 greatest commandments in the Word: Love God and love others. This mirror you have held up has caused me to ask, “How can I make a positive difference in the lives of women who are faced with the difficult choices involved with an unplanned pregnancy and how can I do it in love for God, love for the woman and love for the child?” Thanks for the mirror, Kate!
All of this recent news breaks my heart. I have a 1 year old at 41 after thinking I wanted no more children. I struggled with thinking I didn’t want this. I was too old and my daughters would not want another sibling. We cannot imagine our life without her now. I still feel guilt for even thinking I was not happy when I found out I was pregnant. This is what is on my heart as I see the news and what our world is becoming. We must embrace the women that made that choice at the time when they felt there was no other…we must open our arms to them and embrace them with healing and forgiveness rather than labeling them murderes. I have several women close to me that made the painful choice to abort (not late term mind you) for reasons at the time made them feel there was no other way. I know each of them have moved on and have families now but they all say that they live with a guilt and a pain that is consuming every single day no matter how long ago it was. They are all followers of Jesus and have received his Forgiveness but the pain will always remain. We must remember that there are women that want to give their testimony to others as to how they live with this shame and guilt so that they may prevent this from continuing to happen. We need to rally around them and make them feel that it is absolutely OK to share their story without judgement, after all that is what Jesus did and still does. He forgives and heals…we cannot focus so much on the abortion clinics and politicians that we forget about the women that have already made this life altering decision and need Christians to help them heal.
Yes, yes. We MUST embrace the women. Allll of them. So important. Thank you for reading and contributing!
Thank you for reading Cindy, and for your encouragement and wisdom. It really is all about loving God and loving others. YES! I’m grateful for you!
This blesses me MawMaw! I sure do love you! Thank you for reading and encouraging me onward! Love you!
I had an abortion when I was nineteen. So, ten years ago next February. I was an honors college student with a Presidential Scholarship at ACU. I knew the boy I was with couldn’t be a father. He couldn’t even take care of himself. I couldn’t have a baby without losing everything I’d worked for at ACU. I would’ve had to forfeit my scholarship and my place in the Honors College.
The few Christians I told absolutely shattered me. I began to believe that God rejected me. I had no community to help or support or give me a breakdown of my options.
If someone like you had come along and offered help, I might have made a different choice. I don’t regret my decision, especially because my mental health is incredible poor (partially from PTSD related to the abortion), but I can honestly say that if I’d had an ally, someone to come alongside me… maybe I would have given that life up for adoption. I sincerely wish there were more people like you. I love your convicted heart and the depths of your love for others.
I love your blog. I promise I’m not creepy, but I’m actually reading all the way through it. Your style and voice perfectly encapsulate God’s love and His heart towards His children.
Thank you for sharing your gift with the world.