Suiting Up and Showing Up in the Shadowlands

Indeed we live in the world of shadows. C. S. Lewis writes, “We live in the shadowlands.” A place of suffering and hints of greater glory to come. On this particular day, I felt a prompting to make a genuine effort to suit up and show up at the mill. Many times, I have felt a gentle beckoning within and I have allowed the tyranny of the urgent, to pull me away from the sidewalk.

Moreover, with each blog I write, it feels like I am boxing words to capture the moment to inspire others to pray and perhaps even show up at their local abortion mill.

On this particular day, often more than I would like to admit, it is difficult to listen to the prompting within. The morning soon became the early afternoon, as I steadily worked, hoping to pull myself away after the next call or text. Distraction on steroids’ to say the least.

Gratefully, grace pierced the moment as the next surprising text popped into my messages. It shocked me out of my work mode into the harsh realities of the despairing moments in life. My friend who was at the mill texted: “quick prayer request. Please pray for Michelle, she is considering an abortion.”

I immediately texted back, “of course”.

I said a silent prayer and I felt a prompting to call her as well.

“What is happening now?, I urgently asked.

She replied, “she just went in and her boyfriend is very distraught.” I asked,

“Is her boyfriend nearby?” Yes, she urgently replied. Ask him if I might share with him? Within 10 seconds , I heard his pained and soft spoken voice, “Hello.”

I shared, “I feel your pain and sorrow. I am sad for both of you.”

“Thanks,” he continued. I will be there in 15 minutes. Leaving my work behind, I arrived at the mill shortly there after. He was pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. I rolled my window down and asked him if he had made any progress with his texting.

He nodded nope. He continued. “I keep texting her and she is ignoring my pleas. She doesn’t care about how I feel about our baby.”

For the the next 15 minutes, our conversation continued as he feverishly texted his girlfriend. I prayed and gave him thoughts to send her as she was being prepared for her abortion.

She texted back , “I am in so much pain. Stop telling me not to do this!”

It was heart wrenching. To soothe his pain, I gave him a beautiful infant pink baby dress with delicate pink ballerina shoes for his daughter. I had a strong prompting from God that she was pregnant with a girl. He clutched the dress and shoes as if it was his life raft to his baby girl.

I said, ” This is a beautiful keepsake in memory of your precious baby daughter. Perhaps someday you might write a letter to your daughter sharing your heart and deep love for her.”

Abortion does not take away your fatherhood, I continued. She is your daughter throughout eternity.”

He nodded and held back tears as we slowly walked back and forth on the sidewalk.

I asked him if he would like me to baptize her. I prayed and read a simple prayer for the Baptism of Aborted Babies , praying not only for her baptism but all the children that would die at this mill on this day.

” Heavenly Father, Your love is eternal. In Your ocean of love, You saved the world through Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Now look at Your only Son on the Cross Who is constantly bleeding for love of His people, and forgive Your world. Purify and Baptize aborted children, our dear sister Angela Maria and all aborted children at this mill today with the Precious Blood and Water from the Sacred Side of your Son, Who hung dead on the Cross for their salvation, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. May they, through the Holy Death of Jesus Christ gain everlasting life, through His Wounds be healed, and through His Precious Blood be freed, there to rejoice with the Saints in Heaven.” Amen.

I stayed with him for the next 45 minutes or so. I shared how this decision she is making will be the death of their 2 year relationship as the guilt will settle in and she will turn on him. He nodded in agreement. I shared a bit about my faith in God and how he works all things together for good, even the tragedy of this moment as he wept over the loss of his child and the remembrance of what could have been and what has been.

All of heaven weeps as I pondered another heart breaking moment as our society sees these precious children in the womb as irrelevant and insignificant.

Truly, children from the moment of conception are far from irrelevant to God’s kingdom as Jesus said, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”