December 21, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com)—A British wag would say, Royals have babies. We commoners have fetae. The very sad fact is that “wanted” preborn children are granted personhood and life. The “unwanted” are consigned to a cruel death and burial in a garbage can. Wantedness has become the arbiter of life and death, personhood or being a nonentity, the widening experience of living or maceration and body parts.
This isn’t lost on the surviving children. Small wonder they struggle to please then give up in disgust, or suicide.
Moreover, as the uterus enfolds the placenta, so the mind naturally holds and wants to nurture the tiny infant. The mind and body must work in concert. Thus, it is fair to assume that every woman to some degree wants, accepts, and struggles to protect her baby. It is also right to assume every woman must grieve the loss of her baby whether she said she never wanted it or not. But now the difficulty for the post abortion mother is that her grief is mixed with guilt and likely to become pathological grief which leads to depression and so on.
Jesus taught us to welcome children. We must welcome them in His name, which includes welcoming them in His Father’s name.
A welcome is diametrically opposite to the condition of being wanted. Welcome is unconditional. You welcome people as they are, whoever they are, whenever they arrive. Wanted is conditional, in the sense that one may say, “I want you to be an extension of me and my family, the fulfillment of my frustrated dreams and ambitions.”
Welcome acknowledges a person’s right to life, their God-given opportunity to be all the God intended for them. Wanted perpetuates dependency. It infers, “You can live as long as I want you, which depends on how well you satisfy my wants.”
Wantedness results in insecurity which promotes a poor self image,fears for the future, dislike of having children. Welcome contributes to wholeness, optimism, and Godliness. For when spoken by parents to their children, the children will feel a freely given gratitude to God who gave them existence and family.
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The parents of Jesus found themselves in a very awkward spot. Being pregnant before marriage could result in stoning unless the father acknowledged his child, weds the mother, and commits to welcome and raise the child.
Their example is for all of us. Welcome every child, regardless of the circumstances. This is pragmatic. For when we welcome our children, we are welcoming parts of ourselves. We will expand and mature because of our attitude to welcome.
Welcome Lord, Baby Jesus. I welcome you in my name, Philip.