Nonetheless, there are repercussions to our reactions for or against God.
Meet Gabriella! Our sweetheart! Born without a left-brain, she is severely mentally impaired. Physically, she’ll soon be 30 years of age with a mental (cognitive) age of around two. Socially, she ranges from four to 11. “I doctor dress too,” she asks. Why not? Everyone around here is a doctor. So, I took the picture.
Every morning, she greets me with “Happy Birthday Wish.” What’s the difference between now or tomorrow or yesterday? Gabriella has no concept of time nor distance. Before going to see our friend, Dr. Daniel Starr, she wants to go to the market to buy him cheese, ‘jong belegen kaas.’ That the open market is 6000 miles away from Dr. Starr’s office is inconsequential. And, oh yes, she wants to give Dr. Bomalaski a box of chocolates from a chocolatier in Brugge, Belgium. And the lawyer gets a box as well. Time and distance mean nothing.
By nature, she is giving. God gave us an angel. Gabriella knows no hatred. In her special needs class in church, she cares about her friends and caregivers, not church doctrine nor dogmas. And she knows God, personally and intimately. God resides in her soul. She asks us to pray with her between 10 to 17 times a day. Because of Gabriella, we are close to God. We know that everything is in His hands. Daily we pray, “one more day God.” Years ago, her neurologist told us not to expect her to live beyond 12. And, yes, between her right and left brain, there is constant seismic activity, medicated with an armory of anti-epileptic medications.
She loves wearing her facemask. “Now, I doctor,” she says, like her brother and sister. Even her dolls, all of them, must wear facemasks and, yes, they’re doctors too. Gabriella is especially vulnerable. We’re keeping her away from Covid-19. Unless God intervenes, she won’t survive the infection.
Would we have aborted her life if, before birth, we had known about her disability? Thankfully and gracefully, not one caregiver ever confronted us with this reality. We didn’t know. Thank God. Other parents were not that ‘lucky.’ They knew. How would God react if the parents return their beautiful gift from God back to God?
Mind you, 52 years ago, Dr. Peter Shugarmann, my biology professor, taught us that “life starts upon conception. When the parents’ DNA fuses into one, the seed and egg become one person.” What about God’s DNA, God, the source of all life? At conception, God’s DNA enters directly into the person’s soul. The person may not yet be in a ‘perfect’ form. But with God’s Holy Spirit inside the soul, the soul, from day one, is and will remain perfect forever. Christians believe, God no longer resides in edifices made of stone. God’s Holy Spirit dwells inside temples made of gems, more precious than stone, His creations made in His image.
I could never advise abortion. However, would God forgive parents who, often in desperation, return their unborn child to God? God’s grace is unconditional, his love eternal. How God deals with parents is sacred. It’s God’s business. We should neither help nor hinder. Let go! Let God! Trust God!
12 For as woman came from man, so also man [all humankind] is born of woman. But everything comes from God. (1 Corinthians 11: 10-12 Message Translation).
God assigns the woman to decide on behalf of the child in her womb. Concomitantly, against this delicate backdrop, society justifiably must legislate morality. God proposes. Rarely does He impose. Life is a balancing act.
Read more: Jews, outraged by restrictive abortion laws, are invoking the Hebrew Bible in the debate
With Every Good Wish to You, I am,
Sincerely,
Building the Bridge Foundation, The Hague
Abraham A. van Kempen
Senior Editor
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