First Fruits Friday - A Culture of Hope
“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.” ( Jeremiah 29:11)
At Seneca, our vision is to “create a culture of Hope where the beauty of life is celebrated and healing is received”. It is a blessing to have members of our staff so committed to casting this vision. Here is Karen, our Office Manager’s story:
Imagine this: You are 15 years old and think you’re in love. The boy that you “love” tells you if you love him, you will show him, otherwise, he will break up with you. A few weeks later, you take a pregnancy test; it’s positive. He doesn’t love you anymore. In fact, he denies any part of the pregnancy. About 9 months later, you give birth to the most beautiful little human you have ever seen.
You are 16. You bring her home from the hospital with no idea what the future holds, but you choose to raise her and are determined to succeed. You graduate high school a year early, go to college, graduate with a bachelor’s degree and continue to succeed with your beautiful baby girl by your side.
That 15 year old was me. 20 years later, God led me to Seneca where I have now been working for a little over a year.
Through my position at Seneca, I am typically the first voice and face every client or potential client hears or sees. Many of these women are right where I was 20 years ago: overwhelmed, afraid, feeling alone; on the edge of abortion. I am fortunate to be able to share my story of hope with mothers who walk into Seneca, motioning to the pictures of my daughters on my desk. I rember one young mother who walked into Seneca on an abortion day instead of going to her appointment next door. After telling her about the love Seneca would pour into her, she chose life for her twins. Not long after, another mother came into Seneca and told me “I am not ready to have another child.” After telling her about my 4 daughters, she felt hopeful and chose life. I’ve had the privilege of celebrating with these women and getting to watch them grow through their decision.
Offering these women hope in what seems to them as a hopeless situation has been such a blessing over this past year. God has blessed me with the understanding of how many of them are feeling and the ability to relate.
Creating a culture of hope in a world where the culture seems to be so strongly of hate, fear, jealousy, and despair isn’t easy. But neither is raising an infant when you’re a teenager, sharing my story, or choosing life when all of the odds seem stacked against you. None of it is easy, and we can’t do any of it on our own. But with God, all things are possible, we just have to trust that even if it’s not easy, His promise remains: