Psalm 127: 5-6 
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

The sanctity of life is always a hot topic.  To me, it’s more than “hot,” it’s extremely personal.  For quite some time I just stood my ground in my conviction that life begins at conception, period.  There’s no need to discuss.  You are either pro-life or the other.  I never had to back myself up because it’s not up for discussion, but I haven’t thought too deeply about for some time.

The winter of 2013-2014 marked the beginning of our favorite fund-raiser: Girl Scout Cookies.  “Cookie Zero, Cookie One, Let’s go have some Cookie Fun!”  My girls, and I, had been scouts for six years.  That is six years of real scouting i.e. camping, hiking, sewing, crafting, volunteering, and making the World a Better Place.  We scouted for the same reasons that the majority of parents sign their children up for when they join Girl Scouts.

Most parents, including myself, didn’t research into scouting because we all think along the same lines of what traditional scouting has been over the past 100 years.  No need to research, just get out there, pay your $15 membership, and scout away.  Little do most of us know what Girl Scouts has turned into.

Without going into long details about Girl Scouts’ partnership with Planned Parenthood, we just simply need to know that they do have this partnership with this organization.  This organization supports the right to abort a child as well as being very progressive in this endeavor.  As of late they have progressed so much that they sell aborted fetal parts.  I can’t even wrap my brain around that or begin to think about what they do with those parts.

As January 2014 rolled around, a group of women in an on-line “Christian support” group decided to boycott Girl Scout Cookies, belittle the girls and parents who were selling the cookies, and proceeded to joke about the cookies calling them “Abortion Cookies.”  First, there is nothing funny about abortion therefore this “joke” wasn’t taken lightly by me.  Second, I have to say that myself, and my children are no longer participating in Girl Scouts for the above reasons and for several others, but poking fun at people and “abortion” in the same breath doesn’t bode well with supporters and non-supporters.

I thought about what these women were saying.  Agreeing with the underlying stance on what Girl Scouts has progressed to be, but I also had the conviction to correct them in joking about a serious matter that others were afraid to speak up about.  I said the following to this group of women:

February 22, 2014
Something has really been bothering me since the start of the New Year. Someone posted a link and commented about Girl Scout Cookies, proceeding to put down the organization, the parents and the like. People called them “abortion cookies” and all laughed at it and poked fun at the uneducated parents. Ok. We are Girl Scouts of six years. This is our last year because of their changing policies, Planned Parenthood partnership and marriage equality propaganda. The roots of Girl Scouts are still good. They use to be solid roots. They use to be girl empowerment while still being good and fair citizens. Only in the past decade or so have they really made a push towards their decline in values and morals. We joined scouts when it was ok to say “God” in the Girl Scout Promise. Most parents don’t know about alignment with certain organizations and policies, etc. Most don’t care. Or there are those who are me. We love the basics and appreciate the founding beliefs. We like the bond. We like the friendships. We also have been privileged to have the unique experience of being part of military troops, hence being in very patriotic troops. To poke fun at us, our children, silly cookies, and the people who enjoy actual scouting is not a very “Christian” thing to do. I’m just as angry about Planned Parenthood and the marriage equality push and even about GMOs in the cookies, not to mention the whooping 65 cents a box the troop gets for selling them, but what I’m more upset about is the pamphlet calling them Abortion Cookies and people thinking it’s funny. There’s nothing funny about abortion and it shouldn’t be talked about in light. We will not be Girl Scouts after this year. We will possibly be joining a different type of scouting program. Leaving scouts will be bittersweet but it no longer “aligns” with our ultimate values. Thank you.

The reason I bring up Girl Scouts is that it refreshes my conviction on being pro-life and my personal experience with being faced with someone suggesting to me that I abort my child.  Instead, I will jump on the #shoutyourblessing wagon.

I was 4 ½ months pregnant with my first child.  I went in for my very first ultra-sound and found that we were expecting a baby girl.  We were happy and started to pick out names.  The technician asked for us to come back in two weeks because she didn’t get a clear look at our baby girl’s spine.  That was great for us since we would get to see our little one again.

Two weeks later I wasn’t feeling that great, but I just thought it was the joys of pregnancy pains.  I headed to the doctor and found myself sitting out in the sun waiting for my husband.  I remember feeling uncomfortable, but enjoyed the warm autumn air.

We got to peek at our little one and with a concerned face, the technician suggested that a doctor come and look at the ultrasound before we left.  We didn’t think much of it until he became concerned and told us that the amniotic fluid seemed low.  He sent us to Labor and Delivery just to have an exam before heading home.

When we got to Labor and Delivery, the exam showed that my water was leaking and that I needed to be admitted into the ICU in Labor and Delivery for monitoring.  We were blown away by all of the machines hooked up to me in a short time.  No one really explained anything to us other than that I was in labor.  I thought that was impossible.  I was only just over 23 weeks along.

After several people coming in and out of the room, they told me that I would be staying there until I gave birth.  That’s when my husband and I looked at each other, thinking that I would have to be there until January, it was only September!  We were still not told that they expected the baby to arrive at any time.

That evening, a Neo-Natal doctor finally came in and explained what was happening.  My water was leaking, I was having mild contractions, and if my situation didn’t improve, I would be delivering a very premature baby girl.  They gave me several medicines to help speed up fetal development and medications to help fight against infection.  We were scared.

Two days later we were moved into an isolation room in the Woman’s Health Ward.  Another Neo-Natal doctor came for a visit.  He explained to us that our baby wouldn’t live if I delivered any time prior to 32 weeks.  He explained that she would have bleeding issues, breathing issues and never be a normal child if she did live.  This doctor went on about financial costs, the mental health of the family, and how this would affect my husband’s job.  This Neo-Natal doctor then stood there and said, “I think that you should terminate this pregnancy.  There is no way that this fetus will survive if you give birth now.  Please think about it.”  He left the room as I yelled out, “No!”

He did visit us one more time asking if we thought of his suggestion some more.  I told him not to come back and that I wanted to see a different doctor.  He told me that I was making a big mistake and that I would regret it.  I never saw him again.

He told me that I was making a big mistake and that I would regret it.

I stayed in the hospital for three weeks on strict bed rest.  After a few ultra-sounds, a doctor sent me home on limited activity.  I had a weekly stress-test and ultra-sounds.  At about 36 weeks  I could do more activity as long as I stayed close to home.  I walked a lot.  At 38 weeks my husband deployed.

My baby girl was born at 38 ½ weeks gestation.   My baby girl weighed well over 8 lbs, was healthy, got an almost perfect score on the Apgar Test, and was breathing just fine.  My baby girl had one, teeny, tiny problem which we have blamed on the amount of medications I ingested.  She was deaf in one ear.  This wasn’t even confirmed until a week later at the ENT.

Then, something utterly amazing was shown to me in that delivery room.  The spot on the amniotic sac that had initially broke at 23 weeks had healed over.  It broke during my “second” labor in a totally different place.  Just think that if I had terminated my pregnancy 15 weeks prior we would have not witnessed the miracle of life, nor the extra miracle of a second chance at life.

Today my baby girl is a teenager.  She is healthy and happy and full of life.  She is advanced in school, reads at an adult level and most importantly, she is on fire for God!  She has two little sisters and a baby brother.  If I had terminated my pregnancy because of potential problems with the baby, I would not have any children.

Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you”

God knew my baby girl long before I knew her.  God knew her heart and nurtured her spirit.  God knew what she would mean to our family.  God had a plan.

We are grieved by a sinful world.  We are influenced into compromising are faith through every day relations with the world and its people.  Satan has a grip-hold on our heads, but our hearts and souls have the option to look towards where our moral compasses should come from.  Truth in life.  Jesus died at the cross for every one’s sins, not the just the believers… everyone! The gift of free will (not choice) can lead us to lay our burdened hearts and souls at the foot of that cross and allow for Jesus to take up those burdens and sins for us.  We can freely choose life without guilt and without burden.  He will walk with us through all things.  Just use the free will to go to Him.

We can freely choose life without guilt and without burden.

I pray for those who have been heart-broken by abortion.  I pray that their spirits are renewed and their hearts are healed.  I pray that they seek council with our Lord and with someone they can trust to walk them through their heartbreak.  I pray that they take these next words to heart:

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

And I pray for myself.  I pray that I don’t feel bitter towards those who have aborted their children out of selfishness or because they felt like they had no other choice.  I pray that I can show them love like Christ shows those who do unfavorable things, including myself.  Sin is sin is sin.  We all must remember that.

This is my #shoutyourblessing and I will keep shouting in the face of nay-sayers,  and those who want to control our population.  I will keep shouting in the face of free birth control, women empowerment, and misplaced fathers.  I will shout for the motherless, the fathers who have no voice and the babies who have met Jesus.  But even more so, I will shout for you! Your life is precious! Humankind wasn’t a mishap. Your turn: #shoutyourblessing with me!