Be a Light in Darkness
I am a resident of New York State. I moved to a small town in the center of the Adirondack Park when I was eight. My husband and I then moved to Western NY at age 20 to go to college. We have lived here since.
Over the years I have asked the question, “Why did we choose to stay in New York?” Peter’s answer, “I am a New Yorker. I was born here. The Adirondack Park (Indian Lake) is my favorite place on earth.” He does love our hometown. If he could get an engineering job in Indian Lake, NY, we would probably live there.
I agree the Adirondack Mountains are beautiful. My family and I also love camping on the shores of Lake Ontario every summer. Western New York has four seasons, or as someone recently joked with me, three and a half, and I do like having seasons. I like my house and I love my church. But that is where my list of pros ends. To be honest, I don’t like New York. Our taxes are crazy high! My son has to attend a terrible public high school. It is definitely not worth the school taxes. I determined many years ago to make the best of this place we call home. Until God opens another door, this is where He has me.
For the last few weeks I have seen many social media post and advertisements about an upcoming abortion expansion bill being voted on in the New York State Legislature. It is called The Reproductive Health Act. Over the last several weeks I have read many heated arguments typed in the “comments,” of those post. One thing is for sure, it is a bill that people for and against are passionate about. Yesterday during the day, I watched the live stream from Albany. I saw men and women proudly wearing their hot pink scarves, ties and pins in favor of and in celebration of the bill they knew was about to be passed into law. I also listened as members spoke briefly as they publicly voted for or against the bill. I heard a few statements that hit my core. “This is and will be the most important piece of legislation we will ever sign. This is for our daughter’s and their daughter’s. This is a historic event.” Last night, 46 years to the day after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Roe v. Wade decision, the New York Senate passed the Reproductive Health Act in a vote of 38-24. I woke up this morning to pictures of New York Governor Cuomo sitting at a table, signing the bill into law, smiles on the faces of all those around him.
What exactly does the passing of this bill mean? Well I have done a little research, but I am no expert. So, in addition to abortion being permitted up to 24 weeks the “expansion,” now allows:
“The legislation provides a further exception to permit abortion at any point during pregnancy if a health-care practitioner deems it necessary for the mother’s life or health — the exception that was defined in Roe companion case Doe v. Bolton as “all factors — physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman’s age — relevant to the wellbeing of the patient.” In other words, abortion will be available to women essentially on demand up to the point of birth. The RHA will also decriminalize abortion, moving it from the state’s criminal code to the public-health code.”
I wish I hadn’t researched this. I wish I didn’t know. I wish I could just go on living my live as if this wasn’t a real thing, like this doesn’t and isn’t going to happen in New York or anywhere else for that matter.
I do know. This is real. So, what do I do? As a child of God, what do I do? For starters I look to God. He says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 )
Today I pray. I ask Him for forgiveness and wisdom. What can I as one person do in this devastating situation?
Back in August, our littlest guy’s birth parents came to court. In front of a judge and room full of strangers, they signed over their parental rights to him forever! This is our family’s second time experiencing this. It was so emotional. My husband and I had tears streaming down our faces as his parents were asked pointed questions from the judge if they understood what they were doing? We watched these parents with tears streaming down their faces and heads hung low, nod and answer, “yes.” This was NOT a day of celebration for them or us! It was sad. It was a picture of our broken and fallen world. Definitely not something we wanted to celebrate.
I can’t get those smiling faces and hot pink scarves out of my mind. This is a broken and fallen world. And I do not like it. Regardless of what side you are on, I don’t see how any of what happened yesterday, in the signing of that bill, would cause joy and celebration. This is all around devastating! I don’t ever want a mother to have to be in a position that they feel this is their only or best option. Just because this is legal doesn’t mean it has to be a mother’s only option. We have to step it up as a society. We have to do more to prove this isn’t their only option. That means YOU and ME! By supporting those mothers, we will be supporting those babies!! I am talking to the body of Christ! We know better!! It is one thing to say you believe in something and a completely different thing to actually do something about it!!! We need to step out of our comfortable, busy, lukewarm lives and practice what we say we believe! DO SOMETHING!! Invest in the lives of those that are most vulnerable. Pray! Give! Make a difference in the life of one child, one woman, one mother. Invest in and mentor a young man that will one day be a father. I personally believe we as Christians are part of the problem. For the most part we disagree in words but do little to prove our beliefs through our actions.
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” (James 2:14-17)
Please, I want to encourage the body of Christ, my church family, my friends, to do something. This morning I find myself really wishing I didn’t live in New York State. I find myself really wishing that our world wasn’t so broken. But mostly, I wish that I could see those around me making a difference. Caring. Being Jesus to those who hurt. Being a light on this very dark day in New York State – one beautiful child of God at a time.
Jill