First, let me say upfront that I am by no means wealthy. For me, it’s been 40 years of toil with boots on the ground and a hand to the plow. You can be certain for my wife and I to donate $100,000 was a major sacrifice. And you can also be certain that it is one of the best we have ever made. I feel honored that God would give me the desire and the ability to contribute to many life-affirming organizations that help women tilt the scales in favor of life for their babies.
One of the compelling reasons that moved me to take this action is seeing the massive outpouring of compassion for women who desire an abortion while ignoring the women who are struggling to avoid that emotional hit.
Large corporations, celebrities, pro athletes, and it seems like anyone who had ten dollars they could afford to put on a credit card was pouring millions into organizations like Planned Parenthood, whose coffers are already bursting at the seams. It was disheartening to see so many with a hyper-focus on helping women who desire an abortion and total disregard for those who need help in finding alternative solutions. It should be a discouraging signal to everyone to know that we’ve devalued human life, where we will gladly support women who want the option to take life but are unwilling to support women who seek an option to avoid it.
Seeing that compelled me to stand with pregnancy help centers that assist women and couples in crisis situations. And maternity homes that offer a safe space for young girls who have been abandoned and those who have experienced sex trafficking and are now pregnant and traumatized. And mothers who’ve fallen on hard times and are homeless, struggling to regain stability for themselves and their children. Some of it went to adoption agencies that help make the adoption process more affordable for millions of childless couples in the United States who want to adopt but can’t because of the high costs involved.
There’s another reason for my donation that’s deeply personal. I was once one of those unborn babies whose life was hanging by a thread. At the time of my conception, my mom and dad were not committed to each other or fully committed to me. I never knew my birth mother and, for decades, didn’t care to know her since she didn’t care to know me. Supposedly, she pawned me off on some people with the promise to return, but she never did. Sometime later, my dad, still single, came to his senses, found me, and brought me to live with him. The father is the one who helps turn a crisis pregnancy into a celebrated one. Four decades later, after I finally erased the emotional debt I felt she owed, I sought to find her. When I did, she was already deceased. Realizing the possibility of ever knowing anything about that side of my family was gone, I felt like loose change tossed in a sock drawer. No real value. If I had found her, though, I already knew what I would say after I gave her a giant hug. In so many words, thank you! Thank you for not ending my life. Thank you for allowing God a chance to turn a messed-up situation into a miracle. Although abortion was not legal in the year I was born, it was available. For whatever reason, even under what had to be very stressful circumstances, as all women are in that situation, she chose to give me life. After I finished, two others would wait for their turn: my kids.
Knowing my little gift enabled at least one more woman to give God a chance at turning another ‘mess’ into a miracle was one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever experienced. Give it a try -donate link