Truth vs. Condemnation

“If she can’t embrace being called murderer, then God has not healed her heart!” the Facebook comment outlined on a shared post of one of my blogs entitled, “I Can Hear You.” In this particular blog, I outlined a time in my early ministry life of sharing my abortion testimony when a woman angrily labeled me a “murderer.”

The message from several other Facebook comments on that blog was obvious – If I could not EMBRACE and allow other people to call me a murderer or killer, then I certainly must not be “healed.” My response to that perspective is, “Hogwash!”

Personal healing is not up to the scrutiny of others! Only God can judge a person’s heart status. By calling my healing into question, these judgmental commentators proved the point I was trying to make in the blog!

Since when does being healed involve embracing condemnation from others? We don’t call our soldiers “killers” when they return from war. While these veterans may have taken lives in battle, they were under orders to do so and not personally responsible.  I have lied in the past but I would not have found God if I had been called a liar every time someone tried to talk to me.

Let’s not confuse speaking the truth and condemnation. Realize that Jesus did not brand the woman at the well (John 4) as an adulterer. Instead, He gently and simply outlined the truth of her situation – “You have had five husbands and the one you are with is not your husband.”  God’s love changes hearts, not name calling.    

Many of us can identify with this Biblical female. She was a Samaritan, a race in those days that Jews utterly despised and believed had no access to God. She was likely already ostracized and marked as an immoral woman by her community. Jesus unveiled grace to her in a different way from other sinners. He spoke to her as a person of worth and value, in spite of her moral situation.

This woman clearly KNEW she was a sinner. Meeting Jesus alone at that well made that obvious. She waited until no one else was at the well before coming to draw her water. She had obeyed the isolation punishment her society had placed on her as an immoral woman by not appearing at the well with other people. God knew she needed to see herself as worthy of His love, despite her sins. Only an outcast could understand what a magnificent gift God’s love was that day to this dear woman. 

After this encounter, the woman shared the story with her community and many believed when she proclaimed, “He told me everything I ever did.” Because of the simple respect and love Jesus offered to a scorned, immoral woman, many lives were touched and enhanced by Jesus that day.

As with all negative blog comments, this woman’s points were removed so that post-abortive individuals wouldn’t take them to heart and remain in their silent prisons of pain. God has made my heart strong enough to bear these verbal attacks, but readers may be at another level entirely.

Post-abortive people, like the woman at the well, don’t need more condemnation. We are hard enough on ourselves. Many of us don’t believe we DESERVE healing either. Yet we do become spiritually thirsty and yearn for living water that will heal our hearts – just like the woman at the well that day. Ramah’s prayer is that this healing site will help lead your heart through this abortion recovery program that can quench their spiritual longing, regardless of anyone’s opinion. God’s love is available to everyone, regardless of the category of their crimes.

Please understand that some will not forgive us for making this choice. I’ve discovered that many who make such comments may also be post-abortive! They bark out insults so that no one will ever suspect they are post-abortive too! Other difficult commentators could have had a child in their life aborted against their wishes and are simply using anger to help ease their grief.

In God’s eyes, Romans 3:23  reveals, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Everyone has sinned against God. Those that have condemned you will face God at some point if they do not repent of this sin.  A simple white lie is just as sinful in God’s eye as choosing abortion. It is only society that places more weight on one sin over another.

Record in your journal the times that you have overheard harsh comments against those who have chosen abortion. Include how those comments made you feel and any long-term impact that might have occurred in your heart as a result.