First Fruits Friday: Healing
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;” Luke 4:18
When Jesus began his ministry, He quoted Isaiah and declared that he was “sent to heal the brokenhearted”
As the hands and feet of Christ, we, too, are called to help facilitate healing to the brokenhearted. April is Abortion Recovery Month.
About a year ago, our staff and volunteers were devastated to see a former client, Leah*, return for an abortion after suffering the loss of another child to SIDS. We grieved for and with her, but ultimately in that moment, she chose a path of more pain instead of embracing healing.
As God’s timing would have it, a few days later, our staff went through a healing training with Sr. Pat Thompson, RSM, our Pregnancy Loss Healing Minister. With over 30 years of experience, she has a way of gently speaking truth to us and our clients so that we can heal and move on to the abundance that God has in store for us.
In this training, we discussed we are all in need of healing, whether from abortion, childhood trauma, divorce, a loss of a loved one, or rejection.
One impactful part of our training was to look at what it means to heal.
Sr. Pat shared the definition of “heal”:
“to repair, make well, eliminate cause, restore health, experience relief, become free from guilt, relieve, bring an end to the pain, restore, settle, reconcile, recover - set right”
She also spoke about how healing can only take place one step at a time, and how many of us need enough time to heal.
Healing is not a linear experience, and many times, it can be frightening to look pain dead in the eye. Still, it is important to analyze our pain, allow ugly things and emotions to be flushed out, and let go on your own terms.
We have seen what can happen when healing is not received:
Families pull apart; we become isolated; we pass down our pain to our children without meaning to; we ourselves live in regret or in the lack of abundance that God has for us. Sometimes, we even make decisions that create more pain for ourselves in an attempt to forget the pain we are currently living in.
Each of us is hurting and in need of healing. At Seneca, the staff and volunteers know that healing is one of the first steps in finding abundant life, and inevitably preventing abortion and other trauma from ruling our lives. We have seen the beauty of what God can do once we are healed: He sets captives free! So many of our Seneca community have used their stories to speak life and truth to families who are suffering from abortion or other trauma.
Sr. Pat often reminds us that true healing is something only God can bring about, but that our role can be to help facilitate that healing and let clients know we are not afraid to be with them in their pain.
We know that one in four women in the United States have experienced abortion.
According to Support After Abortion,
"35% of Christian women who have had an abortion currently attend church once a week or more.
90% of these church goers don’t know where to go for abortion healing”
Even more, “after having an abortion, there is still a 50% repeat abortion rate”
It is no surprise that so many of our clients come to us after suffering in silence for decades. That is why it is so important to us to continue to keep our vision in mind:
“To create a culture of hope where the beauty of life is celebrated and healing is received.”
In the past year, God has answered our prayers in so many ways. We are now able to offer on site counseling to our Case Management Clients twice a month at no charge. We have a dedicated volunteer leading a miscarriage ministry, and we are growing our Rachel’s Vineyard healing retreat team.
God also gave us all one of the biggest gifts of all: A few weeks ago, Leah returned to Seneca for a free ultrasound on the mobile unit. She shared how she was able to leave an abusive relationship, and is finding healing for her losses. She chose life this time, and we are thrilled to celebrate with her. It’s these miracles that remind us to keep on the path of offering Hope & Healing.
Will you join us? Help us reduce the abortion rate by offering healing at your churches. Learn more at https://supportafterabortion.com/
If you have been affected by abortion or any other trauma, YOU do not have to suffer anymore in silence. Learn more here.
*name changed for confidentiality