We recently had a client come see us in the midst of a crisis. Already in her third trimester, she was desperate for an abortion. Months before, when she had initially told the father of her baby that she was pregnant, he ended up telling her that he had a whole other family and was pressuring her to get an abortion. Without any family of her own and no place to call home, she felt trapped and alone, believing she had no other choice but to abort. Panic overcame her every time she felt the baby move and she kept telling herself that she “had to get this taken care of.”
In town for a short time for work, she ended up walking through our doors asking for help. She was here for almost three hours – we talked with her through her fears, shared with her about the abortion process when she asked about it, talked about adoption when she was open to it, and gave her a free ultrasound. We had people praying for her, that she would feel heard, seen, loved, and that she would receive truth. Her ultrasound revealed she was nearing 30 weeks and she watched as her baby turned its head and seemed to look right at her.
By the end of her appointment with us, she said,
“when I walked in here, I felt like abortion was the only choice I had – now, I feel that way about adoption and abortion is completely off the table.”
It was no accident that she walked through our doors that day. We could tell throughout her time with us that she was hearing God – hearing the truth – and it was sinking into her heart.
She hadn’t talked with anyone about this pregnancy yet and by giving her a seat at the table, a place to be heard and met with grace, love, and mercy, she was able to come to a place where she could finally see.
Please continue to pray for her, that God would protect what she heard that day and nurture the truth she received; pray that she would see God, and that all the right doors would be opened for her and her child.
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We’ve decided in the coming months to share stories with this theme in mind: a seat at the table. We are being shown over and again with our clients, with each other, and with ourselves that Jesus meets us this way – He invites our whole selves, imperfect and far from put together, to join Him for dinner at the table. It’s here that we find safety to give Him access to all the parts of ourselves, and it’s in giving Him access that He can touch these parts and bring redemption within us. We know it works. We’re seeing it in the ones who come to see us, and minds and lives are being changed.
By Katelynn Martin