ABORTION IS NOT THE UNPARDONABLE SIN, Linda Wood Rondeau

In my upcoming release, Fiddler’s Fling, by Elk Lake Publishing, the subject of abortion is addressed.

My heroine, Jolene was raised in a loving church environment. Yet, when she thought herself in trouble, looked for solutions from secular resources rather than go to the people who should be the first to help her find the way back to God…to forgiveness and healing.

It is unfortunate that our young people are given all kinds of scripture and wisdom regarding the dangers of pre-marital sex; yet, the church refuses to acknowledge that hormones can and will get the better of a young person’s judgment and out-of-wedlock pregnancies happen to church kids, even those who are strong Christians.

We sin. And there are consequences to that sin.

Yet, young people are too ashamed and guilt ridden to come to the church for advice on how to cope with the consequence of an unwanted pregnancy. And so they seek advice from the world. Scared and uninformed…not sure of other alternatives…they are counseled that abortion is the only reasonable “out.” And so guilt is added upon guilt and it drives them further from the very source that could bring them spiritual healing.

What can and should the church do? Is it reasonable to teach birth control other than abstinence? Many church leaders fear that arming their young people with this information is tantamount to permissiveness. Is it reasonable to teach young people what to do if they do find themselves in the predicament of an unwanted pregnancy? Or again, do leaders fear this knowledge would give the wrong impression?

Some churches do reach out to the community and offer assistance to unwed mothers…providing counseling after the fact. Then why do our young people fear contacting their Sunday School teachers and pastors? And if they do make the mistake of getting an abortion, guilt drives them even further from the church?

♦If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 NIV).

Sin is disobedience against God. That is why we are all sinners and all of us are in need of grace. The problem comes when churches, consciously or unconsciously, grade sin on a bell curve. We fail to recognize that a lie is as grievous a sin to the Lord as murder. Yet, God will forgive us any sin except the failure to ask for forgiveness…He cannot forgive if we are unwilling to receive His forgiveness.

Perhaps the message we most need to give our young people is that: we all fall short of perfection but God does not fall short on His ability to forgive.

♦My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One (1 John 1 John 2:1 NIV).

When we teach abstinence without reinforcing grace we deter our young people from seeking help from the very people who will love them through the failure.

♦What can you do?

Talk to your church leaders. Inquire as to how they manage sex education in their youth curriculum. Do they only teach abstinence? Do they encourage young people to seek counseling when confronted with a situation that has gotten out of control?

Only through awareness, openness, and forgiveness, can we help our young people afford making the abortion mistake. And if they do, the church must provide an aura of Grace and let them know that they can find healing and forgiveness within the church family.

Christians sin. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts us of sin and urges us to seek God’s face in our contrition.

~♦~♦~

ABOUT FIDDLER’S FLING:

Will be released within a few days by http://www.elklakepublishing.com/about.html

Engaged to a wealthy rising political star, a driven social worker returns to her small-town roots.

With her wedding to Robert Ashworth weeks away, Jolene Murdock receives a call from Dwight Etting, her estranged father’s junior partner and her former boyfriend. The business is crumbling and her father is dying.

Compelled to visit in spite of Robert’s objections, Jolene wonders if reconciliation is possible given her father’s hatred of all things Ashworth. And there was Dwight. How could she work side-by-side with him and not reveal her secret sin?

To complicate matters her father wants her to play a duet with him in the upcoming Essex County Fiddlers Fling; however, her fiddle was among the many things she left behind when she abandoned Brookside.

More than a romance.

Set in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains, Fiddlers Fling depicts the struggle of the human spirit to find absolution in good deeds rather than accept the unconditional forgiveness God offers the repentant heart.

~♦~♦~

ABOUT LINDA WOOD RONDEAU

Winner of the 2012 Selah Award for best first novel, LINDA WOOD RONDEAU, writes blended contemporary fiction that speaks to the heart and offers hope to those with damaged lives. After a long career in human services, Linda now resides in Jacksonville, Florida. A Christmas Prayer, (aka A Father’s Prayer) was a finalist for both the 2014 Selah and Carol Awards.

The gorgeous Adirondack Mountains are a frequent setting for Rondeau’s books.

Readers may visit her web site at www.lindarondeau.com, her blog, Salt and Light, or email her at lindarondeau@gmail.com or find her on Facebook, Twitter, PInterest, Google Plus and Goodreads.

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