ON CHRISTIANITY

Thursday, February 20, 2014

DEAR REV. GRAHAM: I’m pregnant, and now my boyfriend wants nothing to do with me. I thought having a baby would bring us together, but it didn’t. Now I have to decide if I’m going to keep the baby or have an abortion. I’m so confused. Nothing is turning out the way I hoped it would. What should I do?

DEAR K.S.: One of life’s hardest lessons (and one that I’m afraid some of us never learn) is that bad decisions always result in bad consequences - always. And hard as it may be for you to admit, you’re a victim of the bad decisions you’ve made.

But don’t make things worse by making more bad decisions! That little child growing within you isn’t just a piece of useless tissue, to be thrown away and forgotten (as some contend). He or she is a person, incomplete and not fully formed as yet, but a person nevertheless in the eyes of God. God said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5).

It may not be realistic for you to raise this child, but countless childless couples today would be thrilled to have the opportunity to do so. God has a way of turning the hard places in our lives into good, and this could be true for you. Placing your child up for adoption may not be easy for you in the short term, but later it could bring you great joy and peace.

The most important thing you need to do, however, is to turn to Jesus and open your life to Him. God loves you, and He wants to mend your hurts and give you hope for the future. With Christ in your heart, this can happen - beginning today. Write to Billy Graham in care of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C. 28201 or visit the website at billygraham.org

Weekend, Pages 32 on 02/20/2014