To My Dear Brothers and Sisters in China,
I pray God’s special blessing on you during the time of the Chinese New Year – a time of firecrackers and red lanterns and family reunions with feasts. As Chinese people all over the world celebrate the beginning of the New Year, let Chinese Christians also celebrate the beginning of new life – the life in the womb.
When I wrote to you at Christmas, I said that God gave His most precious gift to humankind in the form of a baby, the baby Jesus. This shows how much God loves babies.
God loves babies wherever they are — not only after they are born in their mother’s arms, but also before they are born in their mother’s womb. The Bible tells us that God Himself formed us while we were in our mother’s womb. Listen to the words of King David:
For You [God] formed my inward parts,
You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made . . .
My frame was not hidden from you
When I was being made in secret,
Intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance . . .
Psalm 139:13-16
The Bible teaches that every human being is unique, knit together personally by the gentle fingers of Almighty God, in His image. There never has been anyone just like you, and there will never again be anyone just like you. Our unique genetic code is established at the moment of conception. Our unique fingerprints form in the womb. But when does a baby receive its unique, immortal soul? Let me tell you a story – a true story of pain and hope.
Years ago I became pregnant with my second child. I was so excited, thinking of baby names, imagining how sweet my new baby would smell after his bath, how soft his hair would be next to my neck when he fell asleep on my shoulder.
And then, when I was just ten weeks pregnant, I started to hemorrhage. My husband rushed me to the hospital but they couldn’t stop it. The miscarriage started on a Wednesday and ended on a Friday. That Sunday, I didn’t go to church because I felt devastated. My husband was the pastor of the church, but I had not told anyone at the church that I was pregnant. That afternoon, after church, my husband told me that a woman approached him and said, “Do you know of anyone who had a miscarriage on Friday?” Shocked, my husband said “No!” to protect my privacy. The woman continued, “I had a vision on Friday of a baby boy. He was wearing a white robe, he had a gold crown on his head – he was perfect! And he said, ‘Tell my Mommy I’m ok, and that I’m right next to the heart of God.’ So, if you meet someone who had a miscarriage on Friday, would you please tell her?”
My husband thanked her, went home and told me what the woman had said. Astonished, I exclaimed, “That was our baby!” and burst into tears. I was heartbroken that I had lost my baby. But I was joyful that he was right next to the heart of God. One thing that I knew for sure: at ten weeks in the womb, he had an immortal soul that could communicate – even though he was less than two inches long and weighed only four grams! My son taught me that the size of the body has nothing to do with the size of the soul! Since that time, I have been convinced that babies are fully human while they are still in the womb. In fact, the Bible says that God knew us BEFORE He formed us in the womb. Jeremiah 1:5.
My baby is wearing a golden crown. In the Bible, crowns are not given out freely; they are earned. I believe that this is a martyr’s crown. I believe that my second son gave up his life to demonstrate to me that babies are fully human while still in the womb. If my baby made this choice in the womb, he was a full human being at 10 weeks.
For those who have lost babies, I bring words of comfort and encouragement. Your baby is right next to the heart of God! You and I both have children who are waiting for us in heaven, praise God!
Blessings and love,
Sister Mary
Feb. 2nd, 2011
Sister Mary <[email protected]>
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China Aid Contacts
Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
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Website: www.chinaaid.org
