THE FIRING SQUAD How much do you have to hate someone to watch them confine themselves to a fiery eternity?

A young woman enters a church; she is known to have lived a life that is not pleasing to many in the church. A mother grabs her daughters by the hand and tells them,”you see that woman over there have nothing to do with her, she is a bad woman”; another mother grabs her son and says if you bring that kind of woman home, we will disown you. A group heading to Sunday school looks at each other and subtly close their ranks, concerned that she would want to be a part of their class. All day at the church, no one wanted to make contact with her eyes, no one asks her how she doing. THE FIRING SQUAD

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house; she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, and she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner." THE FIRING SQUAD
40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[d] and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.
47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
I choose these words and this verse to give you a picture of my life. I am a wife and mother; I have been saved for many years in my life. I have been on staff at a few churches, I have taught Sunday school, I have instructed teens on right living and led small groups, I have been in the choir, and in other words I have been very involved in my church and the spreading of God’s word. But there is something else; you see I have been that woman in the verses above. I had committed many sins and would not allow anyone to know my sins because I was afraid of the firing squad. Remember I am actively involved in the church, I am accepted but I felt the same way the woman above felt. I felt small, I felt unworthy, I felt condemned, and I felt I had no voice. You see I was not able to have a “life more abundantly” because I was afraid.
You see I was afraid of judgment from the church just as the Pharisee (remember Pharisee’s were the leaders in the church) in the verses above was ready and did condemn the woman. "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."
I am a sinner, but a sinner forgiven just like the woman in the verses above. You see my dirty laundry was that I had had not one but two abortions during my teenage years and because of that made many more mistakes/ sins for a few more years. My laundry is not dirty anymore because I went to Jesus’ feet and asked, no begged his forgiveness and HE gave it to me. I have not been able to share this for many years because of the anger from many who believe abortion is wrong. Please do not misunderstand me I FULLY AGREE…..ABORTION IS WRONG! No one could shoot bullets at me better than I could shoot bullets at myself. I still see myself as a murderer, worse I murdered my own children. God has chastised me but he has also forgiven me.
This of course is a generalization, and of course I have looked at others from a point of judgment, how they could do that, what they are thinking, that kind of behavior will send them to damnation. I experienced freedom through a post abortion study at the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center, freedom to speak, not about me but about what God has done in my life; about God’s ability and, desire to clean up a life heading to damnation. I am now assisting at this crisis pregnancy center. I put myself in each person’s shoes I come into contact with, knowing there is hope and I am not better than them because of my salvation but desiring the same freedom for them. I am now living abundantly because God has granted me the opportunity to reach young women and men before they make a choice that will change their lives, but also to offer compassion to one who has already made a choice they cannot change.
As we seek to get the message out, that abortion is wrong. Let us remember Christ did not come to seek those that are well but those who are sick, those who are lost. How can we reach them, by our love? By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." This “one another” means all God’s people. We must speak the truth in love or we risk being just like the Pharisees and helping someone to fiery eternity because they did not see or feel our love for them. Let, therefore brothers and sisters in Christ speak the truth but always in love. The book of Hebrews, tell us that Christ is the better choice, better priest, better example; he has allowed us the opportunity to reach us for eternity during times of great crisis. We can look again at the verses above; his example was love and forgiveness. The Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center strives to provide that atmosphere of love and safety and no condemnation and I am a testament to that. May God Bless You All!