First Fruits Friday - Our Hope
Why is it so difficult for us to obey God? One reason often cited is that when we follow God's word, we are asked to forgive. So many of our clients have led traumatic lives. An unforgiving attitude and resentment they hold onto produces anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. It is a prison of their own making.
Here is one such example: A popular high school cheerleader who was on her way to a great college to study pre-law was shaking - “My mom will be so disappointed in me. Having a baby right now would ruin my reputation,” she sobbed.
Reputation vs Soul
Popularity vs Character
Empowerment vs Disappointment
It strikes some of us strange that people would rather have an abortion over offering an adoption and would rather have an abortion than face the disappointment and anger that their parents may experience if they were to tell them that they are pregnant. Yet, at Seneca we hear it all of the time.
We advise our clients not to tell anyone they are pregnant until we know that they are safely carrying the baby and that the risk of miscarriage is low. During that time, we counsel them on how to communicate their pregnancy to others and give them moral support, prayers, supplies, and coaching sessions. With guidance, spiritual direction, or just sitting in silence with a client as she cries, our job is to support and encourage these women in crisis and to give them tools and resources for their journey forward.
Our hope is that they reach a point as exemplified by three of our clients:
"I am no longer so codependent. I pay my bills now. I do not need help from social services. I am a better mom. I listen to my kids and play with them. I was so depressed before. My church family is so wonderful to me and the kids. I just feel like I am growing in so many ways. It's hard to believe that last year in the fall, I was living in a shelter, not knowing which way to go."
"I am keeping really positive. And I finally stood up for myself to my mother, and she was kind of receptive. She actually admitted wrongdoing, but she did put her own drama into it. That was to be expected. However, it was the first time she actually listened to my opinion and seemed to agree. So I am starting to learn boundaries and how to have difficult conversations without becoming aggressive. And that's showing myself that I am growing. Spiritually, I'm still going to church and I've just been reading some Bible verses on my own time."
"I feel like this is just the time for me to grow as a person and to become healthier. So now that I'm starting to get some clarity, I am looking towards my future with the children and having to maintain a career. I just don't feel the need to be a workaholic anymore, I don't need to use that as a crutch anymore."
Disappointment comes to us all at some point in our lives. Our goal at Seneca is to surround the client with so much love that she realizes that she is not a disappointment to God. He calls her his Beloved.