Welcome to 31 Days of Hope for Moms! To see all the posts in the series, click here!

31 days of hope for moms series

Today’s post is a powerful testimony from my dear friend Sarah at My Joy-Filled Life. She is a mother, like many others, who has gone through an abortion. Here is her redemption story.

Hope for the mom who has had an abortion

Half of pregnancies among American women are unintended, and four in 10 of these are terminated by abortion.  Twenty-one percent of all pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.  At least half of American women will experience an unintended pregnancy by age 45, and at 2008 abortion rates, one in 10 women will have an abortion by age 20, one in four by age 30 and three in 10 by age 45. (Source)

These abortion statistics are unimaginable.  It’s hard to believe that these numbers are so high.  But behind each and every one of these numbers, there is a woman, a story.

Many of these women will someday come to regret their decision.  It may be days later, weeks later, or it could even be years later when they wish they could turn back time and do things differently.

I am one of these women.

And there are far too many women like me.  And so many of them are hurting and need healing.  So many of them need to know that they are not alone, that their feelings are justifiable, and that there is hope and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

I was young when I had an abortion and the regret and hurt didn’t hit me until years later. Eight years after my abortion, I found Jesus Christ, surrendered my life to Him, and He saved me.  And He forgave me!

For me, it was easy to accept the Lord’s forgiveness, as it is given so freely.  What was difficult for me was forgiving myself.

Great, the Lord has forgiven me, so all is well with Him, but how can I possibly live with myself?  With this decision that I made that I can never take back?  It disgusted me to think I could do such a heartless, selfish thing to my own child.  It literally made me sick to my stomach.  Sometimes I would even wonder why He allowed me to have more children, when clearly I didn’t deserve them.

It wasn’t until a few years later, when I was further along in my walk with the Lord and deepening my relationship with Him, that I realized that by NOT forgiving myself, I wasn’t truly accepting the Lord’s forgiveness. 

He died on the cross for. my. (and your) sins!  The blood He shed covers up our sins and makes them white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).  By not forgiving myself, I was saying that what Jesus did on the cross for me didn’t matter, that it wasn’t enough.

But it is enough!  When I came to this revelation, I was finally able to forgive myself. 

But I wasn’t completely at peace yet.  What about my child?  Would the baby I aborted be able to forgive me?

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me. Psalm 27:10

I have turned to Psalm 27:10 many times for comfort.  It is so reassuring to know that my baby is safe in the arms of Jesus and that one day we will be together again.  The poem below has also been helpful –

One Day

For a very short time so long ago,

You lived inside me heart and soul.

I let them tear you away from me,

A day I’ll regret for eternity.

But I found a peace, forgiveness, and love,

It came one day from the Lord above.

Now I know He was always there,

Holding you warmly in His loving care.

So don’t cry my little one, be not afraid,

A place for me, our Christ has made.

To be with you, one day, on High,

To join you, hold you as eternity goes by.

The love and joy that fills my heart

For that one day when we will never be apart

– Unknown Source

flower-324270_640

I can only reassure myself that yes, my baby has forgiven me.  My baby is in heaven with Jesus and has a heart like Jesus.  I even wrote a letter to my baby asking for forgiveness.  And I want to share a response to that letter that a kind reader wrote, because if you’ve had an abortion and are hurting, I hope this response will give you some hope and peace as it did for me.  I am forever grateful to this kind soul for taking the time to write this –

Dear Mommy,

I love you. I am here with Jesus and it is so perfect!! I like to run around and laugh. There are beautiful angels and we dance before the Throne! We sing praises always and Jesus has the biggest, greatest smile ever! He also has a very loud laugh when I tell Him something funny. He holds my hands sometimes and swings me around! He’s the best Dad in the world! He told me about you, Mommy. He told me you were scared and you made a wrong choice. I don’t really understand but He tells me that He has seen every tear that you have cried for me and even now He comforts you even though you can’t see Him. I love that Jesus takes care of me AND you!! Jesus says that you will come to see me one day! I’m so excited! I’ll be sure to be right next to Him when you get here. After you hug Jesus and He wipes your tears away I’m going to jump into your arms and hold you a long time! Jesus says you need to take care of my brothers and sisters first, so I can wait!! I love you, Mommy! I love you so much! Happy Mother’s Day!!

Love,

~Your Precious Child~

Twenty years later I have finally found peace.  And it came through surrendering my life to the Lord and accepting Jesus as my savior.  Don’t get me wrong, I still cry and I still get sad when I think of the irreversible decision I made to abort my baby, but I can live now.  I’m not ashamed anymore and I can finally grieve the loss of my baby, which I always thought I didn’t deserve to do. 

I have joy.  I have peace.  I have comfort.  And most importantly, I have forgiveness.

If you have had an abortion and are hurting or suffering, please seek help.  You don’t have to go through this alone.  There is hope and healing for you.

I am not a counselor or a therapist, but you are more than welcome to email me, and I will try and help you anyway I can and answer any question you may have. 

Below are some resources that may help you get on the road to healing. There are many local Women’s Pregnancy Centers that also offer post-abortive care.

WANT TO SPEAK WITH GRACE TO YOUR KIDS INSTEAD OF YELLING?

Your information is 100% safe with us. We'll never share it with anyone. Unsubscribe anytime. Powered by ConvertKit

9 Comments on Hope for the Mom Who Has Had an Abortion

  1. A beautiful post. I walk the walk too and also get upset at what gets posted. I know I’m forgiven but the sadness and regret really never leave.

    • Thank you Wya. I’m sorry that you have had to walk this path too. It’s one no one should have to walk. I agree, the sadness and regret will never leave – thankfully we are forgiven. Praying for you dear sister.

  2. Thank you for this. This is such an overlooked topic. I had an abortion just before my 18th birthday and have regretted it ever since. I never wanted an abortion, but was to scared to do anything else.

    At 20, I learned the Truth about Christ and accepted his forgiveness. It took a long time to realize it included the abortion. And still, I can’t admit it to anyone because of the guilt and shame.

    Abortion is such a hot topic and so few people realize that there are women who regret their decision. When I was at college, there were large anti-abortion signs showing fetuses. I couldn’t handle looking at them because it brought it all back. But then I am considered callus for not caring enough to look. I have a hard time with many Facebook posts as well. But it’s not because I don’t care.

    We need to offer more grace and understanding to those who have made the choice and those in the decision making process!

    • Thank you for sharing your story, Diana, and for bringing attention to some of the feelings and struggles that those who have had an abortion are going through. Grace and understanding is a must!

  3. I have never had an abortion. I don’t know personally what its like to live with such a decision. But I have volunteered for years at a crisis pregnancy center and ive seen first hand what its done to clients. I have friends who’ve made that decision and I saw what it did to them. Self forgiveness is the biggest hurdle to overcome in many areas of life…I like what you’ve written and I’m sure it is very helpful to those who read it.

Comments are closed.