Abortion Proofing Our Children
“Attend me, Virtue, thro’ my youthful years! O leave me not to the false joys of time!”
‘On Virtue’ by Phillis Wheatley
Dear reader, I am not exactly sure how the title of today’s blog came to me. One day as I was addressing a group of Pregnancy Resource Center leaders about the Arise Daughter ministry it just spilled out of my mouth. It felt like the right thing to say at the time and it struck a chord with several attendees. As I was speaking to the group, I think I went back to an assembly when I was in elementary school (yes, I know that was a looooong time ago 🙂) where I distinctly remember a police officer talking about the dangers of drug use. At the time, I lived in a very tight knit working class community where the fathers on the block kept us kids safe from dangers seen and unseen. I didn’t know anyone who used drugs and I certainly didn’t know where to get any; the responsible adults made sure it stayed that way. The forceful anti-drug message from the adults in my life, coupled with the safety in my environment meant that I never dabbled in illicit drug use. I guess I was “drug proofed” by the police and my parents.
I want that same “proofing” for our children when it comes to abortion. I want the message to go out from authorities that abortion is wrong and that it will lead to destruction on multiple levels. I don’t want our kids to know where to even obtain an abortion and to speak out about it when they are challenged by pro-abortion peers. I don’t want abortion facilities in our neighborhood where paid predators feel emboldened to call our sons and daughters inside to slaughter our babies. Our children need to know, before they are pressured into another opinion, that abortion goes against God’s design for their lives. And the only way they will hear ANY of this is if we speak up!
Our culture of oversexualizing women and men has corrupted not only men’s views of women but also our view of ourselves. In a vain attempt to own who we are, many Christians forget WHOSE we are. The truth is that we have been bought with a heavy price (1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Corinthians 7:23) and that our bodies should not only be temples for Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) but also presented as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1).
Virtue, chastity, and abstinence until marriage aren’t even on most Americans' radar, but it will be up to us - those who have made different choices and suffered because of them - to help women and men of child-bearing age and younger to see their inherent worth, beauty and moral strength. Virginity isn't a small possession; it is of great wealth and to be protected.
If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and has sex with her, he must pay the customary bride price and marry her.
Exodus 22:16
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted and return to You.
Psalm 51:12-13 AMP
Below is a list of potential strategies to abortion proof our children. This is a starter list and is not meant to be exhaustive:
Have conversations about purity of body, mind and spirit. Use this Facebook post by Brian Jones Jr. as a starter for the conversation https://www.facebook.com/share/r/XxTnPqirSFzrqQ1t/?mibextid=xfxF2i
The book of Proverbs was written to help parents have the tough conversations with their children. Check out the books: - Proverbs: A Strong Man Is Wise by Vince Miller
- A Devotional Journey Through Proverbs: 31 Reflections and Insights by Our Daily Bread.
Also view the Facebook post explaining “Why Christ is Lord of Our Bodies”.
Encourage your church youth leadership to offer Christian dating discussions. What does healthy dating look like and what does sex outside of marriage mean?
Discuss the difference between saying you are a Christian and acting like you are a Christian.
Here is a Facebook clip on spiritual integrity.
Offer a class on baby development - something not adequately taught in schools. Bring in the science and the theology so that young people make the appropriate connections using baby models, colorful illustrations, videos and of course the Bible. Show the “Baby Olivia” video at home.
Watch FIRST then show your teen the different types of abortion and what happens to the baby and the mom. Use the website: www.abortionprocedures.com for detailed facts about pill and surgical abortions so that no one can lie to them about what an abortion is. Go to the YouTube stream: The Procedure for an animated enactment of an abortion story. Every 13 year old already knows that killing babies is wrong; this will reinforce their convictions. Watch with them and be ready for tears and questions.
Watch this video on the chemical bonds created during sex. Oxytocin: The Big Deal About Sex. Discuss why God intended for men and women to have only one sexual partner.
Discuss date rape, what it is and what it looks like for both boys and girls.
Teach your children what spiritual warfare means, how to recognize a spiritual issue, how Holy Spirit prompts us and the weapons needed to fight effectively.
- Dr. Cindy Trimm’s book: The Art of War for Spiritual Battle
Facebook video on Spiritual Warfare and Forgiveness
Encourage and model sensitivity to and participation in the social justice issues that continue to plague African Americans. Issues such as:
A. Lack of adequate prenatal care providers in high density population areas.
B. Diverting funding of abortion to funding emergency child care centers and maternal homes.
C. Zoning that includes adequate lower income housing options in cities.
D. Addressing the normalizing of low literacy in city schools.
E. Pressing for a curriculum that includes fetal development, parenting skills and other basic life skills.
F. Education on sexual grooming - what it looks like from the predator’s viewpoint and how to counteract it.
G. Understanding societal injustices towards African Americans and the stressors that accompany being black. (5 minute video with Dr. Joy Degruy)
H. Advocating for 6 months paid parental leave and subsidized child care.
Continue the college campus awareness and activism started by Pro-Black, Pro-Life to champion Whole Life issues and counter the Planned Parenthood narrative.
Listen to men and their abortion stories:
Start an AND Campaign chapter in your city hosted by your church and train to become an AND Campaign Ambassador.
Be prepared to have the, “You are already having sex, now what?” talk. Play the “The Wait: Why We Regret Having Sex Before Marriage” YouTube video. Discuss gynecological checkups, and why they are absolutely necessary if sexual activity has already occurred.
Download the YouVersion App on their phone and help them find short daily devotionals to keep them anchored in the Word of God. Then spend time discussing what they got out of the lesson.
I know this sounds like a curriculum all on its own (which it will become in the near future) but, the time you spend now with your pre-teen will be so worth it. You will be glad that you set them up for success in the future. And they will know you and other adults, will be there for them when the tough conversations need to happen later.
Many blessings to you and yours, Sylvia
Song: “I Want More” by Tye Tribbett
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