Unplanned - - A Reflection and Movie Review

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you....

Jeremiah 1:5a (ESV)

Yesterday was one of those historic days where the events themselves just made an odd alignment in my soul.  First of all, it was our older son's 24th birthday.  So, my mind wandered back to that day when I gave birth to that nearly 10-pound baby.  God richly blessed us in the conception department.  It took little time for me to become pregnant with either of our sons.  I remember back in 1996 - - I felt we needed to start "trying" ahead of the schedule I wanted our second child to arrive on.  My hope was to have another mid-to-late spring birth, as our first son had been.  But, "trying" took all of one cycle and behold!  I was pregnant again.  My heart goes out to women who so desperately want to conceive and, for a myriad of reasons, just can't.  This very moment, friends are working through the adoption process . . . with a foreign country.  It is very difficult to adopt an American baby.  There just are not many babies who survive in order to become adopted here.

Then, also yesterday, I kept for the first time, my 3-month old great nephew all day.  I have committed to doing this one day a week for the foreseeable future.  He is a sweet, adorable baby and, although I smelled like baby puke from 7:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., I enjoyed every moment of our time together.
By 6:35 p.m., Hubs and I were relaxing in a movie theater, popcorn and coke for dinner, watching insipid "pre-previews" until the movie, "Unplanned" began.  Last night was opening night.  Hubs had not wanted to go see this film; he went with me as an act of love.  And, I understand and appreciate that so much.

Never having been a girl to "look away" or to shy away from a fight, I have long been familiar with the American "fight for life".  I know how critical it is to financially support those who make such films, because, otherwise, the true, undistorted message of God's truth will not "get out there".  I so appreciate Mike Lindell, yes, the "My Pillow Guy", who was the executive producer of this film.  That means he bankrolled it.  Otherwise, it could not have been made.  The filmmakers said they had tried twice to bring the film to fruition, and their efforts had been frustrated both times.  I believe this is because God wanted this film to premiere at this time - - - a time when some states are enacting pro-death legislation (NY, VA, among others), and other are enacting strong pro-life legislation (GA, OH, etc.)  This fight will eventually return to SCOTUS, the Supreme Court of the United States.

It occurred to me, while musing on the bloody legacy of Roe v. Wade this morning, that most of the people I now know could have been legally aborted by their mothers - - people I love and could not imagine my life without could simply have never existed at all outside the womb.  Over 61 million US babies' lives taken through abortion in the past 36 years!1

"Unplanned" is a movie of deep woundedness and supernatural redemption.  The film is based on the true story of Abby Johnson, who "rose" to be the youngest clinic director in the history of Planned Parenthood.  I watched her interview this morning on national TV.  She said it was hard to lay out the most intimate details of her personal life for all the world to see.  No kidding.... The movie goes beyond frank to being brutally honest.  The scene where Abby witnesses a late-term abortion - - I simply could not watch.  I just bowed my head and cried.

The movie gives an even-handed treatment of the topic, showing that fringe element of ugliness on the alt-right side of the issue as well as the pervasive evil at the core of Planned Parenthood.  I commend the filmmakers for their honesty.  Not all who call themselves "pro-life" are compassionate toward women who, through their own choices or not, find themselves faced with heart-rending decisions.  I do not condone or support such tactics, even though I am staunchly pro-life.  Y'all, Jesus deal with these situations similarly to how he dealt with the Woman Caught in Adultery (John 8:1-11) or the Woman at the Well (John 4:1-42).  Jesus would NOT dress up in a Halloween costume as The Grim Reaper and scream invectives at sorrowing women in the worst crises of their lives.

There was another weird confluence yesterday, and I alluded to it above.  Here in my home state of Georgia the legislature passed the most restrictive anti-abortion bill in the nation.  And, the governor, himself pro-life, will sign it in a few days.  It will certainly be challenged in the liberal courts.  But, for now, those who believe in the sanctity of human life are rejoicing.  Well, most are.  There is a small element dissing the legislation because it allows for some exceptions.  I call this the "all or nothing" approach.  In the American system of governance one rarely achieves "everything" desired.  Compromise is a part of the process.  That Georgia was able to get this bill passed is in itself a miracle of God.  Why rail against it because it "does not go far enough"?  Thousands of babies' lives will be saved in Georgia because of this legislation.  I believe we should rejoice in that.

Redemption.  Oh how I thank God for His grace!  Only God can forgive my sins, your sins, the sins of anyone who throws themselves into His loving, forgiving, restoring arms.  This film does not leave the viewer without hope.  Hope is a thread woven throughout the movie, hallelujah!  Please go see it in a theater this weekend, if possible.  Take a pro-choice friend!  In doing so you will be supporting the efforts of those who are trying to save unborn lives.  Your support matters, whether you speak with your prayers, with your money, with your time, or all of those!  Locally, our pro-life center, The Hope Center of Woodstock, is having a Walk for Life, on April 27th, 9:00 a.m.  Learn more here:  supporthopecenter.com

#SaveTheBabyHumans

13For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.^a
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

Psalm 139:13-16 (ESV)

Source:

1    http://www.numberofabortions.com/

Purim - - a Story of Surrender

Tonight at sundown, the Jewish feast of Purim begins world-wide.  Purim is always the 14th and 15th of the 12th Hebrew month, Nisan.  This year, curiously, it falls very "late", straddling the Spring equinox.

The biblical story on which the feast is based is the Old Testament book of Esther, most likely written by either Mordecai, one of its central characters, or by the prophet Nehemiah, who would have been a young man when these events transpired.  The date of the book is somewhere between 464-415 B.C.

If you are unfamiliar with the story of Esther, go read the short Old Testament book.  It is fascinating to read about how God physically delivered His people from extermination by an anti-Semitic prime minister of the Persian Empire.  My commentary today will make more sense of you are familiar with the story.

This feast of Purim (which means 'lots' as in "casting lots") is a time of physical celebration.  The day before Purim, itself a one-day feast, is spent fasting from before daylight until dusk.  This year, that fast day would have been today, March 20th.  Then, from sundown on March 20th to sundown on March 21st this year, Jews (including Messianic Jews) participate in a variety of celebratory activities:

• synagogue services in which the story of Esther is read
• special prayers (such as Exodus 17:8-16) to celebrate God's deliverance in Jewish history
• special feasts/recipes
• giving to the needy
• giving food gifts to friends (delivering it to their homes)
• much alcoholic beverage
• dancing
• masquerade (to symbolize Esther hiding her Jewish identity and Haman keeping his motives for the Jews hidden)

Ultimately, the Jews celebrate their rescue, how God used one, surrendered young woman, to deliver the nation from the brink of extinction (Haman's goal).

So, yes, one of the central themes of the book is "surrender".  Esther, like all women of her day, had no power that accrued to her, simply because of her personhood.  Theirs was an extremely patriarchal society.  The best that a woman could hope for was to marry a powerful man.  In God's sovereignty, He appointed Esther to the position of Artaxerxes' (Ahasuerus') queen.  This made her the most powerful woman in that empire.
Even so, her predecessor, Vashti, had been killed due to her disobedience to the king.  It was a sobering lesson, a "cautionary tale".  Esther had good reason to fear standing up for the lives of her people.  She had every expectation that she, too, would be killed for daring to petition the king.  In the passage above, while she is pondering the implications of her task, her uncle reminds her that nothing happens by accident with God - - - that she had been uniquely placed into her position of influence so that she could be used by God to accomplish His purposes.

We are faced with this same challenge.  Each Christian is uniquely created and gifted to serve the Savior.  Each of us must decide every day whether or not we will allow our will to be submitted to His, whether we will allow our bodies, minds, souls and spirits to be used by Him to advance His kingdom.  I thank God I've never had to lay my life on the line for His sake.  But, that day may come. In the interim, in the little surrenders to His will, am I proving myself faithful?  That is the question each of us must answer every, single day.

But, why did the story of Esther even occur?  Why is it even in the Bible?  Is it really that important?  I mean, it is the only book of the Bible in which God's name is not even mentioned.  (Isn't that something?!)

I wonder if God allowed Esther's story to be told in order to show the long-range consequences of disobedience?

Did you notice in Esther 2:5 that Mordecai was a Benjaminite, and that his ancestor was Kish (also a Benjaminite)? This means Mordecai was of the tribe of Benjamin, and that Esther was also, as she and Mordecai were first cousins.  Equally important, Haman was a Agagite (Esther 3:1).  I know you are thinking, "Big deal...yawn..."

Take a look with me back at 1 Samuel 9:1-2.  Who was Kish's son?  That's right, Saul, the first king of Israel.  By all appearances, Saul would have made a fine king.  Unfortunately, he turned to disobedience, and his disobedience to God figures into the Esther story.  Now, let's look at 1 Samuel 15:1-11.  Of particular interest is verse 9.

9Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calvesb and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to destroy them ...

Do you see it?  God had commanded Saul to destroy utterly all of the Amalekites, including Agag, their king.  When Haman is called an Agagite in Esther 3:1, it means he was a descendant of Agag.
Once again, history repeats.  In the Esther story, we have an Agagite trying to destroy the Jews.
HAD SAUL DONE AS GOD COMMANDED HIM, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO AGAGITES, meaning, no Haman, no crisis, no pending extermination of the Jewish people, hundreds of years after Saul, in the 5th century B.C.
Boom.

When we consciously disobey God, thinking we know better than He (or for whatever god-forsaken justification) we rarely can foresee the long-range consequences of our disobedience.  Thankfully, He allowed descendants of Kish to redeem that family name through their obedience, because both Mordecai and Esther surrendered to His leading at this critical point in Jewish history.

As Mordecai pointed out to Esther (Esther 4:13-14), if she had said, "No!", God would have raised up someone else to deliver His chosen people.  Both Mordecai and Esther were devout Jews, who were well aware of the covenants which God had made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. They knew He would keep His word, which declared He would not allow His chosen ones to be utterly destroyed.  The question was, "Would Esther and Mordecai fulfill the purpose to which God had called them, in this cosmic battle?"  Would they embrace the task, risking their very lives for Him? Or, would they decline, and miss the blessing God had for them, even if that blessing was in the form of death?

Here is something that Christian martyrs have understood for two milennia, whether you are talking about first century Christian martyrs or those ruthless killed by Muslims in Nigeria just a few short weeks ago.  ( https://www.christianpost.com/news/fifty-christians-burned-alive-in-pastors-home-in-nigeria-78303/ ). If they are living in the center of God's will, fulfilling His purpose for them, then death is not a punishment.  They understand that following hard after Jesus Christ, their Savior, is better than physical life and that, in the end, physical death is ... irrelevant.

At Purim, followers of Jesus can celebrate this:
that He has delivered His chosen people from extermination and that He has, through His earthly redemptive work, His perfect sacrifice for our sins, delivered us from the penalty of sin and eternal death.  Our Savior is our Deliverer.  Hallelujah!  Although orthodox Jews still look for a Messiah, we have this treasure, this gospel of Jesus Christ - - - that He, the Son of God, has come that we might have (eternal) life, and that we might have life here on earth more abundantly. (John 10:10)  Now, THAT is a great reason to celebrate!

Happy Purim!