The Gospel According to Matt

I received the following e-mail from a friend.  I share it with her permission.

I am pro-life. I abhor the work of Dr. Tiller. But even more than his grisly occupation, I detest his murder done in the name of “pro-life.”

I am a Christian. I am to love all people: born and pre-born. God loved the soul of Dr. Tiller so much that He sent His Son to die for him. I am to hate murder no matter who its victims are. Whether born or pre-born, innocent or guilty. While I was a sinner and an enemy of God, Christ died for me. I know these things and yet feel a kind of relief to know that Dr. Tiller will never kill again. I ought to feel more grieved than relieved.

His murder certainly didn’t help “The Pro-life Cause.” It certainly didn’t open doors for those of us who love Jesus to share the love of Jesus with those who are part of the pro-choice movement. How do we do that now? People are afraid to go to work because they think some pro-life wacko Christian is going to gun them down.

Last week as I was praying about this, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to buy a Panara gift card for the staff of our local Planned Parenthood office, deliver it in person letting them know that I am pro-life and how sorry I am for the family of Dr. Tiller and that his murderer does not represent the heart of the pro-life movement or of Christ — an apology of sorts.

I told my husband about it and he said I’d better do it.

So I did.

It was hard, Matt, to walk into that office. The waiting room was almost full of clients filling out paperwork. It sickened me to think of the process some of these families was putting into motion. But, with a quick ,”Help me, Lord!” I stepped up to the desk and very quietly (so as not to overheard by those in the waiting room) did as I felt the Lord had directed me.

The ladies seemed to understand and were appreciative. I was in and out in probably less than a couple of minutes — a bit shaken and praying that I’d done my appointed task exactly as God wanted me to. It’s nothing dramatic. Just a simple thing God asked me to do. But it was not easy to overcome the obstacles in my own heart to be kind to individuals who advance the pro-choice movement.

It made me appreciate the great heart of God and the grace He extends to me through Jesus.

Lots more thoughts on this, but I thought I’d share a bit of my story with you.

As hard as it may be for us to reach and and love those we see as unlovable, we are called to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ to them.  Sometimes it’s with words, other times it’s with actions, but rarely is it optional.  I’m humbled by Christian friends who embody the grace of God in such a manner.