“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”

– Jesus, in Matthew 5:4

2020 was the worst year of my life for mourning and grief! My older sister Marlene died in August, and then my wife Claudia (CJ to many) died in October. Even though CJ and I were mature Christians and understood that physical death was not the end of her real life, and that she would immediately be in Jesus’ presence after her last breath, it still was an awful, painful and disappointing experience to go through! I recently reviewed one of my blogs I wrote in September of 2020, about 1 ½ months before she died. I was sharing how we both felt about our own grieving, so I’m going to share an excerpt of that blog with you because I think it reflects how most people feel when they experience grief and mourning (you can read that full blog on my blog site at www.boomers4jesus.org ) :

“When I refer to CJ’s “status”, most folks think of her physical status in relation to her cancer. To be honest, it is not good. She is getting weaker each week, and struggles with shortness of breath and water retention as symptoms of this cancer. Fortunately, the pain has been quite manageable and the medication is doing the trick in keeping the pain down. It’s also good that she is still fully alert and enjoys reading, watching TV, listening to praise music, doing her Bible studies, and is still active on social media with friends. Saturday all of our kids & grandkids came over for the day and that was wonderful to have all 17 of us together!

While we both continue to pray for God’s  physical healing and have no doubt he can do that, and we know many of you are praying that as well, it is becoming more likely that God is not going to do that. CJ’s body is dying, and we are certainly aware of God’s presence and leading as we go through this process. As humans there is no easy way to go through this process, and to put it in human (not spiritual) terms, dying sucks! We both grieve those things we will never do together any more, and CJ grieves especially not seeing our 9 grandkids grow up, get married, etc. As those of you who have gone through this experience of losing a spouse, child, parent, relative, or friend, you know life is never always fair and the way we think it should be! It is easy as we face the process of physical death to fall prey to fear, discouragement, and hopelessness, especially if you don’t believe there is life after death.”  – from Sept. 9^th, 2020

We mostly think of grief and mourning in relation to the loss of a loved one. But you can also grieve over a broken marriage that leads to divorce, a serious accident or illness, a child who falls prey to addiction or criminal activity, the loss of a job, a broken friendship, or anything that seems like it should never happen and is just not fair or right! When anything like this affects us deeply, we have an innate sense that “this is just not right, this is not the way it’s supposed to be”!

So, what is Jesus getting at in the passage above when he says “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”? This is from his “Sermon on the Mount”, and this is the 2^nd of eight Beatitudes, or “Kingdom Values” that I would like to explore with you. These are values and character traits that Jesus wants us to develop that will reflect his character and bring glory to His Father. As we mature in, and live out, these eight Kingdom Values, Jesus will bless us with spiritual advantages that will strengthen us and give us unshakable hope as we face the chaos and darkness of our sin-stained world. These will enable us to see our lives, and our world, from God’s perspective. And that can lead to peace of mind and hope for an eternal future!

1) Mourning and grief are a response to the brokenness and sin that mars our world and affects us all!

Remember God’s perspective: He created us to live with him in the Garden of Eden, free from sin and all its evil effects. In that sinless setting, we would never get sick or die, there would be no wars, hatred, hunger, crime, abuse, or any of the horrible effects we see from sin every day in our fallen world. But, when Adam & Eve rebelled and sinned, they were banned from God’s presence and the result of sin was physical and spiritual death for all in the human race, and all of the brokenness and chaos that is our world today!

So when we mourn and grieve, our souls are crying out that this is not right, this is not the way it was supposed to be! Even in our sinfulness and separation from God’s intimate love, even in the hearts of those who don’t believe in God at all, there is an innate knowledge and sense that all of this horrible crap we see in the world every day is just not right, it’s not the way things are supposed to be, and we KNOW there should be something better than this in life!

2) Jesus is calling us to mourn like God does!

God hates the effects of sin in our lives also, and mourns and weeps for us as well! God is constantly encouraging people to repent from their sinfulness (turn and go the other way), and if they do, he will gladly forgive them, make life better now, and promise a future new Kingdom that will be like the Garden of Eden, restored and without any sin!

In the prophet Joel, 2:12-13, God says,
¹²  “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; ¹³  and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

Too many people just succumb to the horrors of sin, and in today’s culture, we have even come to accept and even celebrate some of the results of sin! It’s like people believe “this is just the way it is in the world, and nothing will ever change or get better!” BUT THAT’S NOT TRUE!! Jesus came to die for our sin, and his Resurrection overcame the power of sin and enables us to have his power to resist and overcome sin as well! And, while we still may struggle with the effects of sin, God promises to comfort us through his Holy Spirit and give us his amazing peace in the midst of whatever circumstances we may face.

3) Mourning as God mourns will give us an unshakable hope and lead us into a future Kingdom with Jesus, where we will have new bodies and never get sick or die!

Mourning and grieving means we DON’T accept the sinful status quo of this world, and we long with hope for God’s promise of a better world! It’s really very similar to the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1—“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen”.

Mourning reminds us that a new “morning” is coming, a better day and place in which all sin will be reversed, and we again joyfully live forever in the very presence of God on a newly restored and sinless earth!

John describes it this way in Revelation 21: 1-5:

¹  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ²  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” ⁵  And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Mourning and grief are hard to bear and endure. But in the midst of all that sense of loss and unfairness, trusting in God will remind us that sin is not the last word in his plan! Sure, I miss Claudia and wish the cancer had never happened, but because I know and trust Jesus, I also have great comfort in my life and look forward to the rest of my life on earth with peace, joy, and anticipation of what God has for me in the future! And, I find great comfort in knowing that Claudia is amazingly happy now in Jesus’ presence, and that all the pain and hurt she endured has already been reversed and wiped away, and she is restored to the beautiful daughter of God that she always aspired to be here in earth. And, we will meet again, as brother and sister in Jesus in the new and amazing family of God in his new Kingdom!

I don’t wish the experience of mourning and grief on any of you…

but, knowing that we will all experience times of loss and grief, perhaps many times in life;

I pray that that you will turn to God and let him help you to mourn and grieve as he does, and then trust him for the comfort, peace, and eternal hope for a new and better Kingdom that he so eagerly wants to give you, if you will just trust his son Jesus!

Most of us begin a New Year with optimism! We hope it’s even better than previous years, and many of us seek to change our lives and do better in many areas: lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, be kinder, stop looking at technology so much, read the Bible more, go to church more, etc.  All “good stuff”! And, doing any of that will make your life, and this new year, a little better!

But, did you realize that God wants to bless us with “great stuff” that is far better than that? Jesus tells us in Mathew 6:33 not to worry about all the stuff we see around us, but rather “seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”!  What “things” is Jesus talking about here? And what does it mean when we say, and pray, that God will “bless you”?

In Matthew 5-7, we read the “Sermon on the Mount”, given by Jesus probably over several days. Here Jesus lays out what it means to become part of his Kingdom, both now and in the future, when he returns to rule the entire earth and universe. In the beginning of this sermon, in Matthew 5:3-12, Jesus gives us eight distinct “Kingdom Values” to live by, and if we do live them out, there is a distinct “blessing” for each one from God that will only be given to those who live out these values, with God’s help. These values are also character traits that reflect the perfect life of Jesus. And, if we live them out daily, we will reflect Jesus to others, bring glory to him, and be blessed ourselves!

In this and some following blogs, I would like to highlight these eight Kingdom Values. I was inspired to do this by reading a wonderful new book by Dr. Tony Evans called “Kingdom Values: Character (Greater Than)  Chaos. I would encourage you to read this book and get a fuller understanding of what these values are and how God will “bless you” by living these out! You will notice 2 very important aspects to these Values: 1) they are almost always the opposite of what this secular world values most, and 2) you cannot fully live them out and receive God’s “blessing” for each one unless you surrender to God and let him help you! Let’s look at the first Kingdom Value:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” – Matthew 5:3

The Kingdom Value: Spiritual Poverty!

Here Jesus is saying he will bless those who recognize that they do not have the spiritual capacity to address their own spiritual needs. The Bible says that because we are all born sinful, we are already “spiritually dead” and separated from God because of that fact! We can do all kinds of things to improve ourselves in body, mind, and spirit, but they all fall short of what only God can do for us. Thus, to be “poor in spirit” is to in essence declare “spiritual bankruptcy”, to recognize all my best efforts cannot come close to what God wants to give me spiritually if I surrender to his rule over my life. Tony Evans puts it this way: “A person who is poor in spirit understands that if God doesn’t act out of charity and give them what they need to live life as it is meant to be lived, they are going to starve to death spiritually.”

What does that say about common New Year’s resolutions? You can join a gym, lose all the weight you want to, feel great physically, fill your mind with all the positive thoughts to make you “the best you you’ve ever been”, and in God’s eyes, you’re still spiritually dead and impoverished and will miss out on the all the real power and blessings that he wants for you, now and forever! (I’m not saying that’s not good stuff, and being healthy is great, but don’t you also want the “better things” that God wants to give you?)

The apostle Paul was a powerful, influential, respected Jewish spiritual leader when Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus and literally blinded him for a brief time so that he could spiritually “see” who Jesus was, and then follow him. Paul came to see all his worldly fame and knowledge was useless and even the antithesis to what Jesus wanted to give him. When he finally came to know, love, and follow Jesus the “light came on” in his mind and he could see his previous life as spiritual garbage compared to what he gained by surrendering his life to Jesus! He described it this way:

Philippians 3:4, 7-11 (NIV)
⁴  If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:

⁷  But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹  and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

The Blessing: The Kingdom of God!

The “blessing” for spiritual poverty is that you get to be part of God’s Kingdom! And, it’s ONLY for those who recognize they are poor in spirit. Our culture values pride, personal success and strength, independence and control, a “self-made person”. We esteem those with power, control, and total self-reliance. Those are this world’s “winners”. In God’s upside-down Kingdom, he is basically telling us “If you think you have it all together and are the captain of your soul, go for it! But you will have no help from me, and you will never enter my Kingdom.” Just the opposite is true to enter God’s Kingdom:  he values humility, gentleness, and mercy, and only the person who sees they need Jesus as the source and sustainer of life is the “winner” and will inherit God’s Kingdom as a reborn and redeemed son or daughter!

The concept of God’s “blessing” can be described as “a state of well-being where Kingdom followers of Christ both enjoy and extend the goodness of God in their lives”. This becomes a normal way of life for a Kingdom disciple, not just a momentary feeling of happiness or energy. It’s similar to the idea of “joy” in scripture, which is described as an inner river that keeps flowing even in times of drought. The Holy Spirit is the source of all this peace, joy, and assurance. These are INNER resources that only God can give you!  And, it’s only for those who humble themselves before God and allow him to give them a brand new life as sons and daughters of his Kingdom, now and forever!

So as you begin 2023, it’s OK and even good to want to eat more healthy food, lose some weight, read the Bible daily, play more & better golf (my resolution, lol), and whatever else is productive and healthy for you. But, I hope you seek more than that! I hope you want to experience the inner power, peace, joy, and assurance that only come from Jesus as you surrender to his rule and live as a Kingdom follower. And the good news is, you don’t have to be perfect (because you’re not), and you don’t have to perform and look good for others! You just have to humbly trust Jesus, and ask him to help you!

I will soon write some more blogs on the other seven Kingdom Values that God wants to give us, and the blessings that come with them. Have a wonderful 2023! I pray the circumstances of your life are good and enjoyable for the most part. But even when they are not, I pray you will seek God’s Kingdom above all else, and experience the inner resources that will sustain you and give you peace and joy, no matter what!

¹⁴  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵  from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶  that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ²⁰  Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. -Ephesians 3:14-21 (ESV)

Did you ever wonder why you feel so good when you are really thankful for good family and friends who love you and are always “there for you”, no matter what? Or, maybe you have similar feelings when you’re in a beautiful place in nature on vacation and you can truly relax and enjoy the beauty, rest, and reinvigoration of the moment with friends or family, and it feels so good that you never want to go back to “real life” of school, work, etc.? I’m writing this the day before Thanksgiving. Those of us who are wise will use this one day, at least, to slow down from this divisive, face-paced, out of control culture we all live in, and reflect for a little while on what is truly good and wonderful in our lives, and be thankful. Others, sadly, will continue to be angry about politics, the world, their family, etc. and leave the day more tired, bitter, and maybe more angry than when they started!

How can we find lasting joy, happiness, peace and blessing in life? Is it even possible?  If you are looking for circumstantial happiness or joy that is always there, you will never find it! We all live in a broken world, broken by the effects of sin on us all. We will all have illness, tragedies, loss of income or goods, people who dislike us or betray us, and we will all lose family and friends to death at some point, and all of these circumstances might cause us to feel awful, angry, and hopeless. Nobody’s life is “blessed” all the time, no matter what their Facebook page might falsely portray!

The good news is, God has shown us a pathway to find peace, joy, and blessing in spite of the sin and brokenness that weighs on us all. But if you really want what God is offering, it all begins with knowing Jesus! The apostle Paul shared his life story with us in Philippians. Early in his life, he “had it all”. He was a wealthy, well-respected religious leader, was very intelligent and probably could out-debate anyone. He was in the “elite” class, everybody loved or feared him, and he was probably the type of person who got first row tickets given to him to any concert or sporting event of his day. The envy of everybody… and yet, he was empty!

In Philippians 3:7-11, Paul tells us how that all paled in comparison to finally coming to know Jesus personally:

⁷  But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹  and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. – Philippians 3:7-11 (NIV)

You see, when Paul surrendered to the call of Jesus on his life and became his follower, all the “cool stuff” of his past was meaningless and worthless compared to what he found in knowing Jesus personally! Now that doesn’t mean that everything went well or was easy for him; just the opposite happened! He lost most of his friends, he was ridiculed, he became poor, he was beaten often for his preaching and was even left for dead, and he was imprisoned many times for speaking the gospel. He actually wrote this letter from a prison in Rome, not too long before he was executed for his faith!

In spite of all that, Paul found an inner joy, peace, and hope that came from God and was unshakable in spite of outside circumstances! This joy and peace that God gives becomes a way of life, an attitude and viewpoint given to those who join God’s Kingdom and now see the world from His perspective. Being blessed and having joy are very similar concepts in the Bible, and may be described as “a state of well-being where Kingdom followers in Christ both enjoy and extend the goodness of God in their lives”.  (from Tony Evans, in his book “Kingdom Values”)

The Bible speaks of this inner state as a river that keeps flowing even in times of drought, and is given to us by the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Do you want that never-ending joy, peace, and hope in your life, no matter what the circumstances of the moment might be? I know I do!

Later in Philippians, Paul gives us a pathway and the results:

THE PATHWAY:

Philippians 4:4-6, 8-9 (NIV)
⁴  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

⁸  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. ⁹  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

This is pretty basic, but powerfully effective stuff:

– Be gentle with others, and rejoice in all circumstances, not because they are all good, but because God is near you and helping you through the circumstances

– Don’t be anxious about anything! Instead, take all your concerns and needs to God in prayer, being thankful that he hears you and has all the power you need to deal with life!

– Focus on all the good stuff in life!.. what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy! And then present that good stuff and the hope that is in you to the world around you. Life will be much more enjoyable and purposeful!

THE RESULTS:

⁷  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
¹¹  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³  I can do everything through him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:7, 11-13 (NIV)

This is the results we are looking for!

– God will give us a deep and lasting sense of peace that is greater than we can even understand, and it will protect our thoughts and feelings and keep us focused on God’s presence, power, and hope for a wonderful future with him!

– It will enable us to be content in any circumstance in life, and therefore we won’t have to worry or be anxious about anything! God will give us strength to face every phase of life with him!

When we trust our lives to Jesus, he offers us:

– Joy in the midst of everything we go through

– A peace that is permanent and beyond our understanding

– Gratitude for all the goodness he brings into our lives

– Power to be content in all circumstances, and the ability to share the hope we have with others

I pray you find God’s permanent joy and peace, and gratitude in your life, now and forever!

I have been writing blogs for over 8 years now, and my main emphasis has always been to focus on God’s Kingdom and how to bring more people to trust in Jesus and enter his Kingdom and live forever in his presence! I have tried to stay clear of political discussions, because God’s Kingdom is much greater and better, and far above any political solutions from either the right or left. But I do want you to consider a Michigan proposal to change our constitution concerning abortion, Proposal 3. Abortion, while sadly used by politicians to garner votes, is not just a left or right issue. There are pro-choice and pro-life people in all political parties. Abortion is a moral issue, one of life and death, and one Christians cannot ignore or be silent on, especially since it has become a national discussion after the repeal of Roe v. Wade.

 My view on any issue is to first determine what God has said about a particular issue, and then obey and share what God has said.  My “opinion” is not that important on any issue, (and neither is yours), because I believe God’s view is always the real truth, and any other human opinion that differs with His truth is just therefore a flawed opinion.  My previous blog explains what I believe God clearly says on this issue. Because of that, I will be totally “up front” and say I am totally against abortion, and believe every abortion is the killing of a pre-born baby, made specifically in the image of God. I certainly understand there may be an occasional necessary exception to that, such as when the very life of the mother is at stake, and some may also consider rape and incest victims. I also know that there are some Christians who read my blogs who disagree with my view, and believe abortion should be legal, usually with certain restrictions. While I disagree with you on this, I respect you and pray your decision is made out of heart-felt motives to help and protect women from harm. While even Christians may disagree on this, we are called to work together to bring people closer to God’s will and his Kingdom agenda and bring reconciliation to a world broken and torn by sin, hatred, division, accusation, and destructive vitriol!

So, if we “Michiganders” (a weird label!) look at Proposal 3, and if you share my view that God is completely against abortion, then it is an obvious “no brainer” that you should vote NO on this proposal! As you shall see, this is an abortionist’s dream proposal and one that may actually be worse than Roe itself was.

For the rest of you, some who “don’t give a rip” what God says about anything, or those who do care what God says but disagree with me about what you think God says, I still ask you to look carefully at Proposal 3. You might find that this is NOT an abortion proposal that you agree with at all, and may be much more extreme than what you really want!

When Roe was overturned this summer, it sent the decision about abortion back to the states, allowing each state legislature to debate all views and possibly come up with a compromise solution  that fits their state and reflects where most people are in that particular state. While this is never a perfect solution, it at least allows for ongoing debate and the opportunity to change the laws as our culture changes on this issue, and as the “other” party then comes into power they can vote to adjust what they view as overly extreme legislation from the other side. This at least allows more time and a process where people can more deeply look at the moral, medical, and humanitarian views on this issue, as well as look around the world to see what other cultures are doing as well. From my Christian perspective, I would prefer to live in a state and nation that bans abortion and also values women and babies (and all people) as infinitely valuable. (A “Womb to the Tomb” or “Whole Life” approach) But, none of us get what we want in this sinful and divided world, so how can we work together to draw people closer to what God desires for us all, as he seeks to heal, forgive, restore, and redeem this fallen world?

If you believe in abortion with limitations, what should those be, and how does Roe and Proposal 3 compare? Many folks like to say the United States should be more like Europe on social issues, somehow thinking that because those countries are older they are somehow more sophisticated and humane than some here may be. Most studies of people in the U.S. who want legal abortion show that the majority of them always want limited abortion, usually within the 1^st trimester (12-15 weeks). After looking at 5 different sources on abortion in Europe, that is exactly where most European nations fall. Two or three prohibit abortion except for death of the mother, rape, or incest. 47 out of 50 European nations limit it to 15 weeks or less, while one or two go as high as 24 weeks. NONE of them go the full term of pregnancy (36 months)! On a world-wide basis, one study said that of 198 countries, only seven allowed abortions past 20 weeks (except, again, for the life of the mother, rape, or incest). And of those 7, a few were still limited to 24 weeks. So, what about the U.S.? For the past 50 years, Roe has allowed abortions up until the time of birth itself (36 weeks). This has allowed for late-term abortions and the horrific practice at times of partial-birth abortions. On a world-wide scale, the U.S. has ranked alongside North Korea and Communist China as the most extreme places for abortion in the world. Proposal 3 would continue Roe’s legacy, and WILL be even worse!

What about Proposal 3?

It is NOT a law that is legislated by the state, where both sides could debate the issue. It is a Constitutional proposal that would amend the state Constitution, and would invalidate all present laws that are on the books that conflict with it’s stipulations, and would also prohibit lawmakers from making any new laws or regulations that conflict with what it says. This is a hastily written proposal after the Roe decision that is totally one-sided and is all the things the abortion industry wants. It was written by lawyers for Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, and it is cleverly and deceitfully written in a vague and general way. Many legal scholars believe it would not only eliminate or prevent any restrictions on abortion at all, but would change the relationship between parents and their children, as well as women and their doctors.

Proposal 3 goes way beyond Roe in that it seeks to create a brand new “right” to “Reproductive Freedom” that does not exist in this state or in the nation. This is a vaguely defined new right for “EVERY INDIVIDUAL” (with NO age limits), to make and control “ALL DECISIONS ABOUT ALL MATTERS RELATING TO PREGNANCY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO PRENATAL CARE, CHILDBIRTH, POSTPARTUM CARE, CONTRACEPTION, STERILIZATION, ABORTION CARE, MISCARRIAGE MANAGEMENT, AND INFERTILITY CARE.”

 Because of no age limitations and “every individual” having this new right, laws protecting children and their parent’s rights are eliminated, meaning a young girl can have an abortion without her parents knowledge, and the same idea can be applied to children’s “gender reassignment treatments” (including sterilization), again without parental consent and knowledge.

In another section, the proposal gives all control to the individual as well as the attending “health care professional” (NOT necessarily a physician) and will not allow the state to regulate or infringe upon that procedure. Neither can the state take any legal action against the individual or anyone aiding them or assisting them in these procedures, even when things go wrong. This means that a botched abortion or even if a woman dies in the procedure, the state cannot prosecute against them as long as the individual gave their consent to the procedure.

There are many other concerns about this proposal as well, and I encourage you to check them out for yourself. The bottom line is that this is not a state law that can be changed or improved upon; it is a hastily-written and reactionary proposal that would become constitutional and would eliminate many laws we have now to protect not only unborn babies, but those women who seek abortions as well as laws protecting parental and children’s rights. If you do want abortion to be limited but legal, and can see the dangers of Proposal 3,  I encourage you to work with state legislators to work on such a bill that may better reflect a more balanced view of all people on this issue. No one will get everything they want! I would never vote for any bill that promotes abortion, but if I have to live in a state or nation that legalizes abortion, I would hope to live in a place that at least limits it to the 1^st trimester or less.

It is my hope and prayer that we people can do better than this as we deal with this volatile issue of abortion and unborn children. If you are a Christian and a follower of Jesus, please take time to pray and listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance for you as you consider this and all other issues we face. We are here as believers to present God’s love and care for all people, and we must be careful to discern what is being said in this world from every side around us.

Politics today, and in every generation, is an art of saying things that are partially true and sound really good initially, but can end up hurting us and others later on. This is true of both political parties today, especially in this day of non-stop news cycles and sound -bytes. Focus first on God and what his agenda is, and vote as well as you can in a way that you think honors God and his Kingdom above party line or any other allegiance. And let’s continue to pray for and love each other, even though we may disagree on issues at times!

I close with some good warning and advice from Paul in Colossians:

¹  For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, ²  that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, ³  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴  I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. ⁵  For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. ⁶  Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷  rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. ⁸  See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

– Colossians 2:1-8 (ESV)