The Greek word for comfort is parakaleo which means "to call to one's side, speak to, in the way of exhortation, console, teach."As I read this chapter it hit me that this is exactly what God was doing for me this morning.
As I lay in bed last evening around 3 a.m., the things that had taken place in our government over the last few days that have brought tears of grief to my heart started running through my mind over and over again. I began to feel despondent, confused, angry, disheartened and fearful. The thought that there was no hope for this nation kept pounding on my heart's door. I fought, but I was tired and it makes it more difficult, which is why the evil one chooses night time to really put up a fight. It took a lot of work to get to the place of being able to concentrate my thoughts on prayer. Afterward I was able to snuggle up against my husband and go back to sleep. However, when I woke this morning the thoughts of what my grandchildren will be growing up in tried to overwhelm me once again.
Determined to not give in, I read my Bible, read chapter 8 of the book I am studying and went back to prayer. This was the exact chapter I needed to get past the nagging anxiety at the back of my mind. (Pray with Purpose... Live with Passion, by Debbie Williams)
Over the last few days it has been decided that 15 year old girls and up should be able to purchase the abortion pill over the counter. It has been argued time and again by Planned Parenthood and Pro-Choice counterparts that it is not really an abortion pill per say, but rather a preventative. However, here is a direct quote from an article by someone with the Birth Control Health Center:
Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Plan B acts primarily by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary. It may prevent a sperm from fertilizing the egg.
If fertilization does occur, Plan B may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb. If a fertilized egg is implanted prior to taking Plan B, Plan B will not work and pregnancy proceeds normally....While some people do feel that pregnancy begins at the time of conception, many doctors and the FDA do not describe Plan B as an abortion pill but as emergency contraception.According to this article then, it is all a matter of opinion, so it doesn't really matter.
It has also been decided by Planned Parenthood:(and I quote) "If a baby is born alive after an attempted abortion, what would Planned Parenthood want to have happen to that child that is struggling for life?" Response: "We believe that any decision that is made should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician." After asking the question in different ways to make certain the answer was understood correctly, the Planned Parenthood lobbyist gave the same answer above each time. Next question: "I think that at that point the patient would be the child struggling on the table, wouldn't you agree?" Answer: "That's a very good question. I really don't know how to answer that."
This disregard for human life should not be surprising. People do not want to believe this goes on but: (Please read the bold print sentence at the end if nothing else)
Human rights violation and forced abortions
The one-child policy is challenged in principle and in practice for violating a human right to determine the size of one's own family. According to a 1968 proclamation of the International Conference on Human Rights, "Parents have a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and the spacing of their children."[54][55]A 2001 report exposed that a quota of 20,000 abortions and sterilizations was set for Huaiji County in Guangdong Province in one year due to reported disregard of the one-child policy. The effort included using portable ultrasound devices to identify abortion candidates in remote villages. Earlier reports also showed that women as far along as 8.5 months pregnant were forced to abort by injection of saline solution.[8] There were also reports of women in their 9th month of pregnancy, or already in labour, having their children killed whilst in the birth canal or immediately after birth.[56]
In 2002, China outlawed the use of physical force to make a woman submit to an abortion or sterilization, but it is not entirely enforced.[48][57] In the execution of the policy, many local governments still demand abortions if the pregnancy violates local regulations, or even force abortions on women violating the policy. One such case, Feng Jianmei, gained international attention after the family posted graphic pictures of the aborted fetus online. Feng's case has been credited for renewing public debate on the one-child policy both in and out of China.[58]
Although China has had a reputation for heavy-handed eugenics policies as part of its population planning policies, the government has backed away from such policies recently, as evidenced by China's ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which compels the nation to significantly reform its genetic testing laws.[59] Recent scholarship has also emphasized the necessity of understanding a myriad of complex social relations that affect the meaning of informed consent in China.[60] Furthermore, in 2003, China revised its marriage registration regulations and couples no longer have to submit to a pre-marital physical or genetic examination before being granted a marriage license.[61]
The United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) funding for this policy led the United States Congress to pull out of the UNFPA during the Reagan years,[62] and again under George W. Bush's presidency, citing human rights abuses[63] and stating that the right to "found a family" was protected under the Preamble in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.[64] President Obama resumed U.S. government financial support for the UNFPA shortly after taking office in 2009, intending to "work[ing] collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries"
Then I saw this headline this morning:
Report: Head of Chinese kindergarten leaves poisoned yogurt outside rival school, 2 girls die
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, May 2, 5:16 AM
BEIJING — Chinese state media say
two girls have died after eating poisoned yogurt placed outside their
kindergarten at the direction of the head of a rival school.
The Xinhua News Agency says police believe the poisoning was motivated by competition for students between the schools.
This is where China's disregard for human life has taken them. So where are we headed then?The Xinhua News Agency says police believe the poisoning was motivated by competition for students between the schools.
I had many more thoughts going through my brain about how my grandchildren were going to be surrounded by a no-boundary society as they grow into adults and how scary that is. You can imagine where my thoughts went from there. Suffice it to say, this study this morning was not only a comfort, but a lesson on remembering to Whom I should listen.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. II Corinthians 13:11
God is still in control. Man may think he is running the show, but in the end all will be revealed and what is this life compared to all eternity? So I will continue to pray for my children, grandchildren, future grandchildren, etc. and all the other children having to grow up in this crazy power hungry world and trust my heavenly Father for the results.
Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.
Proverbs 19:21 - [There are] many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
Matthew 19:26 - But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Matthew 6:34 - Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.
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