How should you react if your teenage daughter becomes pregnant?
What should you say to a single mother who just found out she is having another baby?
When a young man gets his girlfriend pregnant, how do you respond?
If your coworker shared that she scheduled an abortion appointment, what would you say to her?
When you learn about a church member who had an abortion in the past, what should you do?
Love. First.
We are not only compelled but actually commanded as Christ-followers to “love your neighbor as yourself.”1. Immediately after reiterating this command from God, Jesus was questioned by a lawyer who asked, “And who is my neighbor?”2 Anyone who has even a little bit of exposure to the Bible has heard the parable that came next. Jesus goes on to tell the story of the “Good Samaritan.”3 To sum up the meaning of the parable, Jesus asks the lawyer which person in the story “proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”4 When the lawyer answers Jesus and says, “The one who showed him mercy,”5 Jesus says to him (and all of us), “You go, and do likewise.”6
What would Jesus do? What would He want us to say? How should we respond?
Love. First.
The “Good Samaritan” story teaches us that the man who was attacked by robbers did not need to justify his situation to the Samaritan who helped him. He was not required to prove his worthiness of receiving assistance, and that’s exactly how God wants us to treat our neighbors – with the same kindness and compassion that we would want for ourselves in similar circumstances.
The families we serve at the Hope House have all fallen among robbers. The chief robber, Satan, comes to steal, kill, and destroy. That’s his only agenda. The women we meet with in our clinic are all dealing with different circumstances. Some have fallen into a sinful lifestyle, others are dealing with an abusive partner or family situation and still others have complicated backstories. Regardless of the circumstance, our nurses, staff, and volunteers are to “love their neighbor as themselves.” God always works out the rest of the story!
If you would like to support our work of providing gospel-focused counsel and practical help to local families facing unplanned pregnancies, we cordially invite you to become a Partner for Life. Your monthly gift, regardless of the amount, will be utilized directly for the services we provide free of charge to every client we serve. If you have any queries regarding getting involved, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
