Let's face it: We who are advocating for the lives of babies in the womb have a tough row to hoe. Those of us who have had abortions often times feel like we are going in two directions at the same time as we work the harvest; and by that I mean we want the Grace God offers sinners but we may not be so ready to extend it to others whose opinions differ from ours. (ouch Sylvia; that hurt) I find myself on platforms that often place God's gift of Grace in a "stingy bin" as if it is something we have the right to hand out whenever WE see fit to (seriously Sylvia, okay already!!). Honestly, I have been guilty of the same offense as I look back at old Facebook posts and the like. I had to do a hard check about a week ago as I was all set to condemn in my heart a politician who was reported as having had an extremely negative reaction to a 12 week old fetal model. You may have read the story. It was reported that a New Mexico state representative said that the model he was given was "disgusting" and threw it in the trash. Initially, when I read about his reaction I wasn't surprised: Those of us who want to keep up the illusion that a baby in the womb isn't a baby often react that way. But, what I hadn't considered or thought about was that he most likely was TRIGGERED, for whatever reason, to react the way he did. The author of the article I read quickly reminded me that she had the same reaction PRIOR to her abortion. That extreme reaction was akin to a self-protective mechanism used to justify her "choice." And that got me thinking: What if we, who have been on both sides of the argument, set a new example of how to lead and engage people with GRACE? After all, until our healing journey began we wouldn't have thought that WE were WORTHY of receiving it. We were triggered by all sorts of real and imaginary threats to our fragile state of mind right? But, what if we pivoted and chose NOT to jump on the "condemnation" bandwagon? What if we chose to begin to freely give what was freely given to us? How might that approach shift the atmosphere toward healing hearts? We know that changed hearts change opinions, laws and directions of nations. Grace is an 'action" word much like love and compassion and it actively stirs up good and not harm.
Let me share with you a model that was shared with me by Ms. Robin Grainger from Life Church here in Wesley Chapel, Florida. It is called the G.R.A.C.E. model of communication and may it be a shining example of how to activate the Grace of God in all things.
Much love, Sylvia