it was april 8, 1988.
i remember it so vividly.
a boy in my math class wasn't there. i had no idea the day before was the LAST time i would see him.
you see, he killed himself.
carbon monoxide poisoning.
i didn't know him more than an acquaintance. i may have joked with him in class a time or two.
but somehow that life that he so abruptly cut short has impacted me in ways i would have never guessed.
EVERY SINGLE YEAR without fail, i think of him on april 8th.
and i pray for his mother.
i have no idea who she is, but i am 100% sure that she is thinking of her son that day.
i wonder, does she wonder if anyone remembers him?
i do.
{every.life.matters.}
* * * * *
it was early sunday morning october 28, 2012.
i couldn't sleep.
i breezed through Facebook friends' updates on my phone.
then i saw it.
a post that stopped my heart.
another boy in my high school--although now we are 40--is in a very bad, bad place.
he's hurting.
he's calling out for help.
he says a form of goodbye on Facebook.
but thankfully THANKFULLY THANKFULLY people intervene.
they call the police to go check on him.
the police arrive.
they stop him.
he lives.
he posts an apology on Facebook and declares that he knows he will be sad again, but now he knows people care about him.
my heart shatters into a million pieces.
i knew this man. we played in the band together. he knows my name. i know his. we talked at our last high school reunion.
but...
how do we know when others hurt?
how often do we wear masks and quip, "I'm great!" when asked how we are?
my heart is truly broken for this friend of mine.
he is still hurting.
still needing love, genuine care and people to stand in his life and shout:
i've been in communication with my friend each day doing what I know to give him encouragement and hope.
i've been praying fervently for his heart.
for his soul.
for his understanding that HE MATTERS in the grand scheme of things.
please, pray for my friend. you don't need his name, God will know.
{every.life.matters.}
* * * * *
a woman discovers she's pregnant yet AGAIN.
they have no money.
she's working two jobs and still aren't making ends meet.
six kids at home cry.
she wonders what she will do.
how will she carry on?
she decides to look into ending her pregnancy.
it's in her best interest, afterall.
what if...
what if she found someone who was willing to parent her baby?
would she choose to give her baby life?
yes.
this time, a life is saved.
thanks to an amazing godly couple who enter the adoption arena wanting a baby...and are open to a child of a different race.
this mom is given hope.
this baby lives.
{every.life.matters.}
This happens to be election day when I'm posting this. I absolutely vote for LIFE. But this post is about so much more than the abortion issue. This is about understanding that each life has a story, an impact and a value that is so far beyond what we can comprehend. We have no way to understand the intricate weavings of lives that God creates. We are a people created to be in community with others. We must stand for life. But when we do, we must also stand for adoption. We must care deeply about others. We must really listen when we ask an acquaintance "how are you?" for they might NOT be doing well. We must care, cry and bleed with our fellow man and help them along the road to wholeness. We must work at preserving life on all levels--not just the babies, but the people who have lived their lives and are waiting to die. Every day matters. Every heart created has been made to know his/her Creator. The journey through life allows many experiences. Will we help others find wholeness? Will we stand up for life when it matters? Will we intervene in another's life even when it's uncomfortable and inconvenient for us? Will we give up our own "right" to comfort and take in a life if it means preserving it from abortion? Will we stand for life, in all ways?
Proverbs 3:27
"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act."
Proverbs 31:8
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed."
Ephesians 4:29
"Let no harmful language come from your mouth, only good words that are helpful in meeting the need, words that will benefit those who hear them."
i remember it so vividly.
a boy in my math class wasn't there. i had no idea the day before was the LAST time i would see him.
you see, he killed himself.
carbon monoxide poisoning.
i didn't know him more than an acquaintance. i may have joked with him in class a time or two.
but somehow that life that he so abruptly cut short has impacted me in ways i would have never guessed.
EVERY SINGLE YEAR without fail, i think of him on april 8th.
and i pray for his mother.i have no idea who she is, but i am 100% sure that she is thinking of her son that day.
i wonder, does she wonder if anyone remembers him?
i do.
{every.life.matters.}
* * * * *
it was early sunday morning october 28, 2012.
i couldn't sleep.
i breezed through Facebook friends' updates on my phone.
then i saw it.
a post that stopped my heart.
another boy in my high school--although now we are 40--is in a very bad, bad place.
he's hurting.
he's calling out for help.
he says a form of goodbye on Facebook.
but thankfully THANKFULLY THANKFULLY people intervene.
they call the police to go check on him.
the police arrive.
they stop him.
he lives.
he posts an apology on Facebook and declares that he knows he will be sad again, but now he knows people care about him.
my heart shatters into a million pieces.
i knew this man. we played in the band together. he knows my name. i know his. we talked at our last high school reunion.
but...
how do we know when others hurt?
how often do we wear masks and quip, "I'm great!" when asked how we are?
my heart is truly broken for this friend of mine.
he is still hurting.
still needing love, genuine care and people to stand in his life and shout:
YOU MATTER!!!
i've been in communication with my friend each day doing what I know to give him encouragement and hope.
i've been praying fervently for his heart.
for his soul.
for his understanding that HE MATTERS in the grand scheme of things.
please, pray for my friend. you don't need his name, God will know.
{every.life.matters.}
* * * * *
a woman discovers she's pregnant yet AGAIN.
they have no money.
she's working two jobs and still aren't making ends meet.
six kids at home cry.
she wonders what she will do.
how will she carry on?
she decides to look into ending her pregnancy.
it's in her best interest, afterall.
what if...
what if she found someone who was willing to parent her baby?
yes.
this time, a life is saved.
thanks to an amazing godly couple who enter the adoption arena wanting a baby...and are open to a child of a different race.
this mom is given hope.
this baby lives.
{every.life.matters.}
This happens to be election day when I'm posting this. I absolutely vote for LIFE. But this post is about so much more than the abortion issue. This is about understanding that each life has a story, an impact and a value that is so far beyond what we can comprehend. We have no way to understand the intricate weavings of lives that God creates. We are a people created to be in community with others. We must stand for life. But when we do, we must also stand for adoption. We must care deeply about others. We must really listen when we ask an acquaintance "how are you?" for they might NOT be doing well. We must care, cry and bleed with our fellow man and help them along the road to wholeness. We must work at preserving life on all levels--not just the babies, but the people who have lived their lives and are waiting to die. Every day matters. Every heart created has been made to know his/her Creator. The journey through life allows many experiences. Will we help others find wholeness? Will we stand up for life when it matters? Will we intervene in another's life even when it's uncomfortable and inconvenient for us? Will we give up our own "right" to comfort and take in a life if it means preserving it from abortion? Will we stand for life, in all ways?
Proverbs 3:27
"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act."
Proverbs 31:8
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed."
Ephesians 4:29
"Let no harmful language come from your mouth, only good words that are helpful in meeting the need, words that will benefit those who hear them."
This is an absolutely beautiful post filled with truth! Tragically, I have lost a family member to suicide 3 years ago December. We will never be the same, & it is a haunting feeling wondering what was so painful that she chose death.
ReplyDeleteI am also the mother of 4 children whose birth mothers could have made very different decisions. When people are quick to judge (how could someone give their kid away?), I am just as quick to defend their unselfishness. I wish more people would lose the judgment & replace it with an attitude of "How can I be an encouragement or help?"
Ok, now that I've done a mini post of my own, thanks again for your beautifully written words. ~Blessings~