Heaven’s Hope!

“You aren’t giving women the hope of seeing their children in heaven, are you, Sydna?” an abortion recovery leader probed me during an initial conversation in my first years in ministry. “Scripture isn’t clear that the destination of aborted souls is heaven, Sydna!”

Shocked, I asked the next logical question, “If aborted children aren’t in heaven, where do you think they are?”

Her answer sent a cold chill down my spine – “I don’t know but wouldn’t it be a great deterrent to abortion if women thought they were sending their children to Hell?”

I ended that conversation and immediately removed this leader from our ministry’s referral list as her ministry efforts and programs were clearly toxic. Her perspective on the character of God concerning His creation was not in line with my Bible, outlined in Psalm 27:10 – When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.

While the actual term “abortion” is not in the Bible, we know that infant sacrifice was common in Biblical times. Jesus outlined God’s truth found in Matthew 19:14, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

During my abortion recovery class, we reviewed II Samuel 12:15-23 that outlined how King David felt when his infant son with Bathsheba died. Knowing the child was sick, David grieved and asked God to spare his child’s life.

After his baby died, David stopped mourning and outlined (verse 22-23) – While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’  But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.

Jeremiah 1:5 outlines another truth of God saying, Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you… As the Creator of life, it is not in God’s nature to create a child and then abandon that child to Hell to suffer for eternity.

Before I was born, two of my sisters died in infancy of separate birth defects. My oldest sister, Naomi, had Spinal Bifida and lived just six months. My second sister, Cydney, had a hole in her heart and survived only three days.

My mother often dreamed of the day she would see my sisters again in Heaven. During her dying process, all she talked about was what that heavenly reunion with her two daughters would be like. She didn’t worry about dying as she had the assurance of her salvation that she would see them again.

After my abortion, I was deeply concerned about meeting my child when I arrived in heaven. I wondered if my baby would hate me for taking his life. Would I even recognize or know him in heaven?

Then I worried about his welfare in heaven – who was caring for him? In my abortion recovery class, my leader calmed that fear by outlining the obvious truth from Scripture that – “Jesus is the greatest parent a child could ever have!”

At one point in my recovery process, my husband and I were talking about my aborted child, whom I named Jesse. Tom outlined, “When I get to heaven, I know that Jesse will be my child too. He shares the same blood as my sons. Therefore, he’s my family as well!”  I can’t tell you how much comfort it was to realize that my aborted child was part of our family, and we’d share heaven together!

Starkly, there is another Biblical conclusion about the hope of heaven for the post-abortive person. John 3:16 outlines – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

The simple truth is that if a post-abortive person does not believe in Jesus, this passage outlines that they will NOT see their children in Heaven.  John 3:16 NIV outlines the path of God’s salvation for Earthly sinners – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. To believe in Jesus is all that is needed to meet your child in Heaven. Regardless, any unborn children that died before they were born will surly enjoy Paradise.

By naming and grieving, these aborted children become real people in our hearts. These lost children have always been real to God, their Creator.  While we may have rejected them as a gift from God, He has always cared for them. There is no sadness in heaven, only peace.

Isaiah 55:6 NIV encourages us to – Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. God has a role for you on earth.  He will be with you as He is with your child. I’m looking forward to a joyous reunion with my child and so can you if you simply believe in Jesus Christ!